Munich massacre: ‘He spoke good English’ – Hong Kong’s Ronnie Wong recalls A de O Sales heroics during Black September attack
- Wong and two other athletes asked one of the terrorists to help them leave the compound where two Hong Kong coaches were stranded
- Sales came face to face with the Black September leader, who helped him search for the trapped Hong Kong coaches
Hong Kong Olympic official Ronnie Wong Man-chiu said he would never forget the day A de O Sales defied police orders to help bring two Hong Kong coaches to safety during tragic events of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Games.
However, the judo and swimming coaches – their bodies too old and weak to climb out of their second-storey window – were stranded at the Hong Kong Olympic Committee’s office while terrorists from the Black September group patrolled the area with machine guns.
The terrorists were after the Israeli team, who were housed one floor below the Hong Kong team, eventually killing 11 athletes and one German police officer. All members of the terrorist group were eventually killed.
“Mr Sales was the key man to take these two coaches out,” Wong told the Post. “Once we got out, we did a headcount and realised that there were two people missing, the judo and swimming coaches.
“It was close to the deadline the terrorists gave before they said they would start killing athletes, so Mr Sales realised he must do something.
“I saw him talking to some officials and then he was escorted to the main building where he went inside and brought the two Hong Kong coaches out.”
A de O Sales was a controversial sports figure who played by the book
Wong said he managed to escape with Chan and Mok after knocking on the door and telling the terrorists that they were Chinese from Hong Kong and they wanted to leave.
“He spoke good English and was polite,” said Wong. “He told us to come out of the room and we can leave. Once he said that, we felt that we were safe.”
In several reports, Sales said he had come face to face with the leader of the Black September group, who told him that he thought all the Hong Kong delegation had already left the compound.
Said Sales: “I told the Palestinian there were two left and that they were hiding. He accompanied me and we went and knocked on the doors. One of the Hong Kong officials was still in his underwear and I told him to hurry up and put his trousers on.
“When I walked out with them, I heard a great cheer from the crowd. I asked the Black September guy if he needed anything. But he said he had everything. It never occurred to me that I might be in danger. My mind was focused on getting the Hong Kong athletes out. It was very sad that it ended in a tragedy.”
