Prior to the opening ceremony , the Lebanese delegation was assigned to ride on the same bus as the Israeli delegation . The head of the Lebanese team , Salim al-Haj Nicolas , admitted that he demanded that the bus door be closed on the Israeli team , and that the Lebanese demanded that the Israeli athletes not board the bus . Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations . Udi Gal , an Israeli Olympic sailor , said his team ultimately decided to travel separately to avoid an " international and physical incident " but added " How could they let this happen on the eve of the Olympic Games ? Is n't this the opposite of what the Olympics represents ? " On 3 August 2016 , two days before the start of the Olympics , the International Olympic Committee officially honored the 11 Israelis murdered during the Munich massacre for the first time
Munich massacre
Munich massacre
Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics