Worried athletes thinking of leaving
Netherlands soccer team left mall an hour before suicide bombing; Maccabiah officials say athletes not hurt
Part of the Netherlands team spent their free time in Hasharon Mall in Netanya on Tuesday, but left about an hour before the explosion. Most of the team members were planning to stay in the mall, but the team management decided a few hours earlier to schedule a practice on the beach, which prevented the athletes from being present in the area during the attack.
Netherlands soccer players watch terrorist attack news
The soccer players, who are staying in the Park Hotel, where a massive terrorist attack took place in 2002, were scheduled to play against Argentina on Wednesday, though it is not clear whether the game will now go ahead. The players were shocked when they heard about the attack.
Benny Miller, the team manager, said that the most important thing is that none of the players got hurt.
"Most of our players are in shock, and we do not know how they will deal with it," he said. "Most of them want to leave Israel as soon as possible, because they are not used to such a thing. I will try to convince them to stay for the games, but it is their individual decision.
'We're OK, because we decided to practice'
Benny's son, Danny Miller, is the team captain.
"Everyone is OK, because we decided to practice," he said. "Some of the players are stressed out, some of them are crying. We will respect every decision they make. We are just talking to them and explaining they must be strong."
Israeli lawn bowls player Haim Sheffer, who also stayed in the Park Hotel, said the players are afraid because their concerned parents called and asked them to come back.
Netanya, the "Olympic village" of the Maccabiah, proved to be an especially sensitive target for an attack.
Security was boosted in the city's hotels on Tuesday, where about 1,000 athletes and accompaniers are staying.
Jeremy Nash and Andrew Lebovich, members of the U.S. rugby team, heard the explosion from their room in the Hotel Carmel. At first they did not understand what happened, but then they realized it was a terrorist attack. Aaron Manheimer, also a member of the team, quickly sent an e-mail to his family telling them he was not hurt.
"I am not leaving," Manheimer said. "We knew this could happen. We came to stay to the end."
Ron Carner, general chairman of the Maccabi USA team, said he is thankful that none of our athletes were involved in the teror bombing.
"It gave us a disturbing glimpse into how Israelis must live their lives and proves to the importance of displays of solidarity like the Maccabiah Games," he said. "Our hearts and sympathies are with the victims and their families, but in the Jewish spirit of determination, we must go on with our events and our program."
Other Maccabiah delegation members offered different responses; female Brazil volleyball players said that if another attack occurs, they do not know if they would stay in Israel. Female Russian badminton players argued among themselves about whether they should return or not.
'Being a Jew is a cause'
American men's volleyball assistant coach Ian Lensher said that it is his first time to the country.
"It is true that there is terrorism everywhere," he said. "Here I understand that being a Jew is a cause."
The team's coach, Nir Ofer, said that the team is not scared.
"We have a lot of confidence, but we are nervous," he said. "We wanted to travel and enjoy, but now I do not know what will happen tomorrow."
Despite the panic concerns, competitions went on as planned. The Maccabiah official statement said, "we do not know about any athletes who want to leave."
A meeting with the delegations heads will take place on Wednesday to find out whether there are athletes who plan to leave.
Maccabiah spokesman Arad tried to calm down the athletes.
"We do not know of any athletes or accompaniers who got hurt or were hospitalaized from the terrorist attack," he said. "We are cooperating with the police, and security will be enforced according to the police requirement. I want to calm down the delegations; the police made it clear that the attack did not target the Maccabiah or its athletes."
He said that he hopes that none of the athletes want to leave, and that they will do anything for the Maccabiah games go on as planned.
