Olympics: IOC to Create 'Mourning Area' of Remembrance for Games

The International Olympic Committee said Saturday it is to create a mourning area in the Olympic Village at next year's Rio next where participants can remember family or friends while a "moment of reflection" will be held at the closing ceremony.

IOC president Thomas Bach unveiled the plan at a news conference following the IOC's executive board meeting in the host city to assess Games preparations for the first ever Olympiad in South America.

The remembrance area will "remember all those who have lost their lives at the Olympic Games", Bach told reporters, allowing a "solemn moment of reflection" at the end of the event to recall incidents such as the deaths of 11 Israelis killed when Palestinian gunmen invaded the athletes village at the 1972 tournament in Munich.

Reference to the 1972 attack elicited discussion of security in Rio, with its reputation for urban violence, particularly at a time of poor economic performance.

On security, Bach said: "The Games cannot guarantee security for the next 100 years in Rio de Janeiro", but "can serve as a catalyst to help create future growth".