18th Maccabiah to be Held in July - 4 days to go!

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18th Maccabiah to be held in July 2009

18th Maccabiah to be held in July
24 Jun 2009

Opening ceremony of the 17th Maccabiah Games, 2005 (Photo: Itamar Greenberg)

Some 5,300 athletes from abroad and 2,000 more from Israel expected to participate in the games, held every four years in Israel.

Every four years Israel hosts the Maccabiah Games, which since 1932 has brought together thousands of Jewish athletes from all over the world. It is one of only seven worldwide competitions recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Participants compete in events including soccer, basketball, table tennis, and netball and attend an impressive opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan. Many top Jewish athletes have made their names at the Maccabiah, including American swimmers Mark Spitz, who went on to win an unprecedented seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics, and Lenny Krayzelburg, who swam at the 2004 Athens games.

The 18th Maccabiah Games, the largest sporting event in the history of the State of Israel, will take place 13-23 July 2009, with the participation of 5,300 Jewish athletes from 64 countries and 2,000 athletes from Israel. The colorful, updated opening ceremony, aimed at a young 18-30 audience, will take place on 13 July in Ramat Gan Stadium and the closing ceremony will take place in Latrun on 23 July.

Live broadcasts will available on the Maccabiah website and on JLTV.


Igal Carmi, Chairman of Maccabi World Union, says that for the overseas participants, this is a first of all a sporting event. "They take this very seriously and they very much want to win. The most important thing about the Maccabiah games is the competitiveness." Carmi also noted the importance of an event in which participants identify so strongly with Israel: "For many of the athletes, this will be the first Jewish experience in their lives."

For the first time ever, four central mass popular sporting events will be open free of charge to the general public: beach events will be held 10 July in Nahariya, Netanya, Herzliya, Ashdod and Ashkelon, with free activities such as ball games on the beach, aerobic exercises guided by professional trainers, a demonstration with ultra-light planes, a yacht and sailing exhibition and other varied, fun activities for the whole family.

Two mass events will take place on 17 July: a cycling event in Tel-Aviv, with thousands of Maccabiah participants and others expected to take part (bicycles will be available to rent) and the Tiberias Triathlon around the Sea of Galilee, open to professionals and amateurs. A half-marathon will also take place on 21 July in Netanya, with 2.5 and 10km races open to the general public by pre-registration.

Famous names from the world of sport coming to Israel to participate in the 18th Maccabiah Games include American Jewish swimmer Jason Lezak, who won seven medals in three Olympic Games (the swimming events will be held 19-22 July at the Wingate Institute); Argentine football referee Horacio Elizondo, who was the referee for the Final of the World cup tournament in Germany between Italy and France, will serve as the referee at the football tournament; Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton who will be the special guest of the British football team and chess Grand Master Boris Gelfand.

As a tribute to pole vaulter Alex Averbuch, for whom this Maccabiah will be his last official competition in Israel, Yevgeny Lukyanenko, silver medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, has agreed to participate in the Track & Field events.

The Maccabiah events will take place just days before a separate wrestling championship in memory of the 11 athletes murdered at the Munich Olympics, and this has attracted several very highly ranked wrestlers, who will also participate in the Maccabiah.


JLTV prepares for live Maccabiah coverage

The Maccabiah Games coverage begins Sunday, July 12 on the American TV network JLTV with a historic LIVE broadcast. For the first time, the Games will be televised outside of Israel to 100 million households across America, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Over 30 million of the homes are located in Moslem countries, including Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

Opening ceremonies will be held on Monday, July 13 and coverage of the Maccabiah Games will continue through July 24. Between the end of July and the end of September, JLTV will continue to run retrospective coverage of the 18th Maccabiah Games.