Monday (September 5) marked 50 years since six Israeli coaches, five Israeli athletes and one West German police officer were killed in a terrorist attack by members of the Black September movement.

On the 50^th anniversary, IOC President Thomas Bach was at the Furstenfeldbruck air base in Munich, where nine members of the Israeli team were taken as hostages and killed in a firefight between the terrorists and the police.

One police officer also died after being caught in the crossfire.

Israeli wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg and weightlifter Yossef Romano were killed during the initial assault on their accommodation at the Olympic Village.

IOC Executive Board members gathered at Olympic House in Lausanne and online for today's meeting, and began with a minute's silence for the victims of the attack, as well as IOC honorary members Patrick Chamunda and Ottavio Cinquanta who died recently.

Paying tribute to the victims of the massacre, German official Bach described it as the "darkest day in Olympic history" in a repeat of his remarks at Monday's memorial event.

"What began so peacefully and joyfully in this Olympic Games ended in inconceivable suffering," the IOC President said.

"We share the pain of the relatives of the 11 Israeli victims and the German policeman.

"To this day, this barbaric attack fills us with horror, shame and disgust.

"This pain is all the deeper because those loved ones lost their lives at the Olympic Games.

"They had so long to take part in this peaceful competition with athletes from all over the world.

"This attack was also an attack on the Olympic Games and on the Olympic values."

Bach also referenced the minute's silence for the Munich Massacre victims held at an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony for the first time at Tokyo 2020.

The IOC had notably rejected a request for a minute's silence at the London 2012 under the leadership of Bach's predecessor Jacques Rogge.

Bach commended the Olympic Committee of Israel for continuing its involvement with the Games.

"The murdered members of the Israeli Olympic team were, are and will remain a part of our Olympic Movement," Bach said. 

"Despite this terrible loss, neither the relatives, nor the Israeli National Olympic Committee, turned their back on the Games.

"Israeli athletes have in fact taken part in all subsequent Olympic Games,

"So we stand together, united in our remembrance, but also in our commitment, the peace mission of the Olympic Games.

"In this way we show that the values of human solidarity and peace are stronger than all the forces of hatred and division."

Since the last IOC Executive Board meeting in June, honorary members Chamunda of Zambia and Cinquanta from Italy have died, and Bach paid tribute to them at today's gathering.

He described former National Olympic Committee of Zambia President Chamunda as "an exemplary promoter of the Olympic values and the social responsibility of sport".

Discussing former International Skating Union President and IOC Executive Board member Cinquanta, Bach said: "Sometimes during these discussions in the Executive Board Ottavio was also thinking outside of the box that really enriched the discussions and gave rise to sometimes interesting but always very amicable discussions.

"But then finally also good solutions."

The IOC Executive Board is holding its penultimate meeting of the year in Lausanne.