Olympics-50 years on, Germany asks for forgiveness over 1972 Munich Games attacks

Wreath are placed during a ceremony, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Munich Olympics in which eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died takes place near the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Germany's president asked for forgiveness on Monday for his country's failure to protect Israeli athletes and team members who were murdered 50 years ago at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

"We cannot make right what happened," Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a gathering including relatives of the dead and Israeli officials during commemorations at the airfield where a failed rescue attempt took place.