Maccabiah Games: the 'Jewish Olympics'
Background and milestones in Maccabiah's history
The Maccabiah is the largest Jewish athletics gathering in the world. It was initiated by Yosef Yekutieli, a Jewish athlete and winner of the 1979 Israel Prize. The Maccabi World Union is in charge of its organization. The event houses several historical, medical and journalistic conventions, as well as children's drawing competitions, in addition to the sports competitions.
The event is often nicknamed 'The Jewish Olympics."
Maccabiah Milestones
The First Maccabiah took place in 1932, in the Maccabiah Stadium, which was established in Tel Aviv for the event. About 400 athletes from 18 nations (including Arab countries, like Syria and Egypt) participated. The competitions were held under the approval of the High Commissioner to Israel Sir Arthur Wauchope.
German team marches in Second Maccabiah, 1935
The Third Maccabiah was the first to take place after the establishment of the State of Israel, in 1950.
A year before the Sixth Maccabiah of 1961, the International Olympic Committee recognized the Maccabi World Union as an organization on an Olympic level.
The 13th Maccabiah (1989) was the first to involve athletes from Eastern Europe, after the Soviet empire began collapsing and Eastern European countries got rid of their communist governments. About 4,400 athletes from 45 countries participated.
The 14th Maccabiah (1993) was the first to involve competitions for the disabled, similar to the Special Olympics.
The 15th Maccabiah (1997) was supposed to open the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Israel. Right before the opening event, a bridge that was built especially for the event above the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv collapsed while athletes were passing on their way to the ceremony.
Hundreds of athletes fell into contaminated water; 70 people were seriously injured, and four members of the Australian delegation were killed. The games were postponed for 24 hours, and a memorial ceremony was held. The Australian delegation decided to stay and participate in the competitions, despite the tragedy.
Only 2,500 athletes from 20 nations participated in the 16th Maccabiah (2001,) because of the security concerns.
