Ten sporting events that came under terror attack

Following the twin bomb explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday, we take a look at the 10 sporting events that faced the ghastly acts of terrorism.

1972: Munich Olympics

The darkest hour in the Olympics history arrived at the 1972 Games in Munich. Black September, a Palestinian militant group, killed 11 athletes of the Israeli team in a 16-hour hostage drama. Following that, competition was suspended at the Olympic Stadium for a memorial service.

July 27, 1996: Atlanta Olympics

Eric Rudolph - an ex-armyman in the US and an explosives expert - planted a bomb at the Centennial Olympic Park holding a music concert. The explosion killed two persons and injured more than 100. Rudolph is at present serving four life sentences.

April 5, 1997: Grand National

Around 60,000 spectators attending England's famous horse race had to be evacuated after bomb threats, reportedly from the Irish Republican Army. The race was delayed for 48 hours after the police had done their inspection.

May 1, 2002: Champions League

The semi-final between Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona was rocked by a car bomb explosion in the vicinity of the Bernabeu Stadium hours before the match. The motive of the attack was not immediately clear, but 11 members of the Batasuna group (linked to ETA) were arrested. The match went on after sufficient security checks.

May 8, 2002: Pakistan v New Zealand

New Zealand cricket team scrapped its tour of Pakistan midway after a suicide bomber attacked outside the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi where the New Zealand team was staying. Fourteen people were killed, including 11 French Navy experts, two Pakistanis and the Pakistan team's physiotherapist.

July 15, 2006: Iraq's Olympic squad and committee

The year 2006 spewed terror on Iraqi sportspersons with three horrific attacks. The chief of Iraq's Olympic Committee and 30 athletes and officials were kidnapped by 50 gunmen from a sports conference in Baghdad in July. On May 17, the taekwondo team of 15 was kidnapped while travelling for a competition in Jordan. The team was never traced. In the same month, Iraq's tennis coach and two players were killed by gunmen.

January 4, 2008: Dakar Rally

The 2008 edition of the race was cancelled in 2008 after the threat of an Al Qaeda attack. It was the first time in the race's 30-year history that it had to be cancelled.

April 6, 2008: Sinhala and Tamil New Year Marathon

A suicide bomber attacked the marathon, killing 15 athletes and injuring 90 others. The Sri Lankan government held the militant group Tamil Tigers responsible for the attack.

March 3, 2009: Sri Lanka v Pakistan

The Sri Lankan cricket team bus was attacked by gunmen while on their way to the ground for a match in Lahore. The gunmen attacked the bus with rockets and grenades besides firing many rounds of ammunition. Six policemen and two civilians were killed and six players of the Sri Lankan team were seriously injured. A militant group closely associated with Al Qaeda is believed to have carried out the attack.

April 16, 2013: Boston Marathon

Two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100 in what a White House official said would be treated as an "act of terror."####