Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah Games (Hebrew: משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israeli regardless of religion.
Held every four years in Israel, the Maccabiah Games is considered the foremost sports competition for global Jewry.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The Maccabiah Games were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee in 1961.
[13][14] Competitions at the Maccabiah are organized into four divisions:[12][15] 1) Open (Seniors); 2) Juniors; 3) Masters; and 4) Disabled.
The name Maccabiah was chosen after Judah Maccabee, a Jewish leader who defended his country from King Antiochus.
[9] The Maccabiah Games were the result of a proposal put forward by Yosef Yekutieli in 1929 at the Maccabi World Congress.
Following the appointment of the new British Palestine High Commissioner, Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope, the Maccabiah got the go-ahead.
Following the success of the first Games, the 2nd Maccabiah was held from April 2 to 10, 1935, despite official opposition by the British Mandatory government.
[24] The following is an overview of the Games: Prior to World War II there was an attempt to organize a winter Maccabiah.
[48][49] For 85 years, these were the only winter Maccabiah games to be held and the only two Maccabiot that did not take place in the Land of Israel.
The Maccabiah opening ceremony, which is organized by the Maccabi World Union, has recently been presented in English, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Some sports however, such as golf and rugby, might start prior to the opening ceremonies in order to finish on time.
After the parade of nations, the opening ceremony continues on with a presentation of artistic displays of music, singing, dance, and theater representative of the Jewish culture.
For example, in 2013, Grammy Award-winner Miri Ben-Ari and X Factor USA finalist Carly Rose Sonenclar performed at the opening ceremony.
The parade of nations, in contrast to some other games, include junior and disabled athletes who also partake in the competitions.
The closing ceremony of the Maccabiah Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded.
In recent years, the closing ceremonies included popular musicians and live music and dancing.
The winner, second, and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum to be awarded their respective medals.
Among them have been Mark Spitz, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak, Marilyn Ramenofsky, and Anthony Ervin (swimming); Mitch Gaylord, Abie Grossfeld, Ágnes Keleti, Valery Belenky, Kerri Strug and Linoy Ashram (gymnastics); Ernie Grunfeld, Danny Schayes, (coaches); Larry Brown, Nat Holman, and Dolph Schayes (basketball); Carina Benninga (field hockey); Lillian Copeland, Gerry Ashworth, and Gary Gubner (track and field); Angela Buxton, Brad Gilbert, Julie Heldman, Allen Fox, Nicolás Massú, and Dick Savitt (tennis); Angelica Rozeanu (table tennis); Sergey Sharikov, Vadim Gutzeit, Soren Thompson, and Mariya Mazina (fencing); Isaac Berger and Frank Spellman (weightlifting); Lindsey Durlacher, Jason Goldman, Fred Oberlander, and Henry Wittenberg (wrestling); Max Fried and Dean Kremer (baseball); Donald Spero and Michael Oren (rowing); Bruce Fleisher, Oren Geri, Ron “Racehorse” Smith (golf); Adam Bacher, Dennis Gamsy, Neil Rosendorff, Marshall Rosen, Bob Herman (cricket);[63] Boris Gelfand and Judit Polgár (chess); Irwin Cotler (ping pong); Marcelo Lipatin, Jeff Agoos, and Jonathan Bornstein (association football); Steve March Tormé (fast-pitch softball); Shawn Lipman (rugby); Dov Sternberg (karate); and Ori Sasson (judo).
Iran, a Muslim, but not Arab country, which debuted at the 7th Maccabiah, stopped participating following the Iranian Revolution.
– Past participants.