Son of judoka Wim Ruska makes an appeal to get sold medals back

The 1972 Olympics went down in the books as the massacre of Munich. Eleven Israeli athletes and officials were taken hostage and killed by members of a Palestinian terror group on the night of September 4-5.

Despite the drama, the Games continued and Amsterdam-born Wim Ruska was very successful. He is the only judoka ever to win two gold medals. His son Michael Ruska looks back with pride on his father’s achievement. “The murders were horrible, but my father was such a sportsman that he stayed focused on winning. We didn’t come from a wealthy family, so judo was an outlet for him. Winning a big judo tournament was his ultimate goal. That’s how he wanted to go.” make something of his life.”

Sold medals

The judoka returned home after the games with two gold medals. The medals were in Wim’s possession for a long time, but after his death in 2015 they came into the hands of his wife. “My stepmother sold the medals to an auction house due to financial necessity. That is still very painful for the family,” regrets Michael Ruska.

The name of the buyer was never released by the auction house, so it is unknown to the family who the current owner is. Still, Michael hopes to get the prizes back one day. “These medals are a proud piece of family history. We would like to have them back. Unfortunately, I do not estimate the chance of returning very high. The medals are probably sold for 10,000 euros each. Those are not exactly amounts for which I will come pick them up this afternoon .”