Maccabiah Games

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Maccabiah" redirects here. For other uses, see Maccabiah (disambiguation).

Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah Insignia
Main topics
Most recent games
All Games
Stadiums
Category

The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games;

Olympics and the FIFA World Cup).[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The Maccabiah Games were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee in 1961.[11][12][13]

Games

Originally, the Maccabiah was held every three years. Since the 1953 Maccabiah Games, the event has generally been held every four years, in the year following the Olympic Games.

The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, as well as to all Israeli athletes regardless of ethnicity or religion; Arab Israelis have also competed in it.[3][14]

Competitions at the Maccabiah are organized into four divisions:[2][15] 1) Open (Seniors); 2) Juniors; 3) Masters; and 4) Disabled. The Games are organized by the Maccabi World Union.

Etymology

The name Maccabiah was chosen after

4th Maccabiah.[12]

History

Main article: History of the Maccabiah Games
First Maccabiah Games
Delegations in the streets of Tel Aviv during the parade of the 1st Maccabiah.

The Maccabiah Games were the result of a proposal put forward by

British Palestine High Commissioner, Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope
, the Maccabiah got the go-ahead.

The

1st Maccabiah opened on March 28, 1932.[17] The Maccabiah Stadium in Tel Aviv, which was built with donations, was filled to capacity. Roughly 400 athletes from 18 countries took part in everything from swimming, football, and handball, to various athletics. In the first Games, the Polish delegation took first place.[17]

The Maccabiah Games were intended to take place at an interval of three years. Following the success of the first Games, the

State of Israel
.

Starting from the

15th edition was marred by what became known as the Maccabiah bridge disaster, when a temporary bridge built for the march of athletes at the opening ceremony collapsed, plunging about 100 members of the Australian delegation into the waters of the Yarkon River. Four athletes were killed, and 63 injured.[19][20] More than 5,000 participants from over 50 countries competed in those Games.[20]

19th Maccabiah, from 78 countries, making it the 3rd-largest sporting event in the world and the second largest sporting event in 2013, behind the 2013 Summer Universiade.[7][21] It is a forum for Jewish athletes to meet and convene, and provides the athletes with opportunities to explore Israel and Jewish history.[1]

Approximately 10,000 athletes, from 80 countries, were expected to compete in 42 sports categories in the

2021 Tokyo Olympics.[23] This made him the first American president to attend the Maccabiah Games.[24]

Editions of World Maccabiah

The following is an overview of the Games:

Summer Maccabiah

Edition Year Date main venue Countries
participating		 Athletes
participating		 Number of
Sports		 Ref
1 1932 28 Mar–6 Apr Maccabiah Stadium 27 390 16 [25]
2 1935 2–10 Apr 28 1,250 18 [26]
3 1950 28 Sept–11 Oct Ramat Gan Stadium 20 800 17 [27]
4 1953 22–29 Sept 22 892 19 [28]
5 1957 15–24 Sept 20 980 19 [29]
6 1961 29 Aug–5 Sept 27 1,000 20 [30]
7 1965 23–31 Aug 27 1,200 22 [31]
8 1969 28 July–7 Aug 27 1,450 22 [32]
9 1973 9–19 July 26 1,500 23 [33]
10 1977 12–21 July 34 2,700 26 [34]
11 1981 6–16 July 34 3,450 30 [35]
12 1985 15–25 July 37 3,700 28 [36]
13 1989 3–13 July 45 4,400 32 [37]
14 1993 5–15 July 48 5,100 [38]
15 1997 14–24 July 33 5,500 34 [39]
16 2001 16–23 July Teddy Stadium 49 2,200 [40]
17 2005 11–23 July Ramat Gan Stadium 55 7,300 [41]
18 2009 13–23 July 55 7,510 33 [42]
19 2013 18–30 July Teddy Stadium 77 7,500 34 [43]
20 2017 4–17 July 85 10,000 45 [44]
21 2022 12–26 July 80 10,000 47 [45]

Winter Maccabiah

Main articles: 1933 Maccabiah Games and 1936 Maccabiah Games
Bronze medal from the winter games in Banska Bystrica, 1936, in the Jewish Museum of Switzerland's collection.

Prior to World War II there was an attempt to organize a winter Maccabiah. Due to the relatively warm temperatures in Palestine, the winter Maccabiot were organized in European nations. The

1st Winter Maccabiah was held in Zakopane, Poland, February 2 to 5, 1933.[46][47] The games were met with great opposition; the Gazeta Warszawska newspaper encouraged Polish youth to intervene during the games to prevent the "Jewification of Polish winter sports venues".[46]

A second attempt at the winter games was relatively more successful. The

2nd Winter Maccabiah took place February 18 to 22, 1936, in Banská Bystrica (then Czechoslovakia).[47] In the games, 2,000 athletes from 12 nations participated.[48][49] This was the last time a winter Maccabiah was ever held, and the only two Maccabiot to not take place in the Land of Israel; although Maccabi
still runs smaller regional winter games to date.

Number Year Host Athletes Nations
1 1933 Poland Zakopane, Poland 250 8
2 1936 Czechoslovakia Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia 2.000 12

Regional Maccabiah

European Maccabiah

List:[50]

Number Year Dates Hosts Athletes
1. 1929 Prague,  Czechoslovakia
2. 1930
Antwerpen,  Belgium
3. 1959
Kopenhagen,  Denmark
4. 1963 Lyon,  France
5. 1979 Leicester,  United Kingdom
6. 1983
Antwerpen,  Belgium
7. 1987
Kopenhagen,  Denmark
8. 1991 Marseille,  France
9. 1995 Amsterdam,  Netherlands
10. 1999 Stirling,  United Kingdom
11. 2003
Antwerpen,  Belgium
12. 2007 Rome,  Italy 1800[51]
13. 2011 Vienna,  Austria 2000[52]
14. 2015 27 July – 5 August Berlin,  Germany c. 2050[53]
15. 2019 29 July – 7 August Budapest,  Hungary 3000[54]
16. 2023

Pan American Maccabi Games

Latin American Maccabi's (CLAM), called Jorge Newbery Pan American Maccabi Games or Pan American Maccabiah from 1966:[55][56]

Number Year Host
1. 1966 São Paulo,  Brazil
2.
3.
4. 1979 Mexico City,  Mexico
5. 1983  Brazil
6. 1987 Caracas,  Venezuela
7. 1991  Uruguay
8. 1995 Buenos Aires,  Argentina
9. 1999
10. 2003
Santiago de Chile,  Chile
11. 2007 Buenos Aires,  Argentina
12. 2011 São Paulo,  Brazil
13. 2015  Chile
14. 2019 Mexico City,  Mexico[57]
15. 2023 Buenos Aires,  Argentina

Oceania Maccabiah (Junior Carnival)

The Maccabi Junior Carnivals are a sporting event held for the Jewish youth of Australia or New Zealand. It has been held annually since 1982, usually in January.[58]

Venues were:[59]

  1. Sydney 1982
  2. Perth 1983
  3. Melbourne 1984
  4. Sydney 1986
  5. Brisbane 1987
  6. Adelaide 1988
  7. Sydney 1989
  8. Perth 1990
  9. Melbourne 1991
  10. Sydney 1992
  11. Perth 1993
  12. Melbourne 1994
  13. Sydney 1995
  14. Melbourne 1996
  15. Perth 1997
  16. Sydney 1998
  17. Melbourne 1999
  18. Perth 2000
  19. Sydney 2001
  20. Melbourne 2002
  21. Perth 2003
  22. Auckland 2004
  23. Sydney 2005
  24. Perth 2006
  25. Melbourne 2007
  26. Auckland 2008
  27. Sydney 2009
  28. Perth 2010
  29. Melbourne 2011
  30. Brisbane 2012
  31. Sydney 2013
  32. Perth 2014
  33. Melbourne 2015
  34. Sydney 2016
  35. Sydney 2017
  36. Melbourne 2018
  37. Sydney 2019

Ceremonies

The World Maccabi Movement flag during the opening ceremony of the 19th Maccabiah.

The Maccabiah ceremonies are two ceremonial events that take place during the first and last days of the

Zionist movement
. The ceremonies of the Maccabiah trace their roots to the Olympic Games of the early 20th century. As such, they share many similarities.

The Maccabiah opening ceremony, which is organized by the Maccabi World Union, has recently been presented in English, Hebrew, and Spanish.

Opening

17th Maccabiah
.

The opening ceremonies represent the official commencement of the Maccabiah. Some sports however, such as golf and rugby, might start prior to the opening ceremonies in order to finish on time.

The opening ceremony for the first Games was held at the new

19th, and 20th Maccabiah Games which were held in Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem
.

The United States delegation to the 19th Maccabiah; with 1,106 people, the second-largest delegation (after Israel).

The ceremonies often start with the introduction of the active participants of the

X Factor USA finalist Carly Rose Sonenclar performed at the opening ceremony.[60]

Parade of Nations

See also: Parade of Nations at the Olympic Games

Just like at the Olympics, the Maccabiah starts out with a "Parade of Nations", during which most participating athletes march into the stadium, country by country. The countries enter the stadium in accordance with the Hebrew alphabet. The parade of nations, in contrast to some other games, include junior and disabled athletes who also partake in the competitions. In accordance with the Maccabiah's tradition, the Israeli delegation always enters last.

Closing

The closing ceremony of the Maccabiah Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Typically, a member of Maccabi or some other well-known figure makes the closing speech and the Games officially close. The ceremony includes large artistic displays of music, singing, and dance. Various Jewish singers perform during the closing ceremony. In recent years, the closing ceremonies included popular musicians and live music and dancing.

Medal presentation

A medal ceremony is held after each Maccabiah event is concluded. The winner, second, and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum to be awarded their respective medals. Medals are awarded by an official Maccabi member.

Ceremony hosts

Year Hosts (s)
1981 Azaria Rapoport (Closing)
2005 Becky Griffin and Rodrigo Gonzales
2009 Galit Giat and Michael HarPaz
2013 Miri Nevo and Dana Grotsky
2017
2022

Sports

8th Maccabiah Games at Ramat Gan Stadium
(1969).
Israeli high jumping champion Gideon Harmat, a silver medalist at the 11th Maccabiah.
Main article: Maccabiah sports

The Maccabiah Games recognize all 28 current Olympic sports, plus a number of other sports such as chess, cricket, and netball. In contrast with the Olympic Games and other major international sporting events, the Maccabiah rules regarding accepting new sports are very lenient. New sports are accepted to the Maccabiah Games provided that competitions will only take place if at least four delegations bring competitors for that sport (three in the case of female sports, as well as the junior divisions).[61] As a result, the Maccabiah has held various unique competitions such as duplicate bridge.

Karate, not yet on the Olympic schedule, made its debut in 1977 at the 10th Maccabiah Games. The requisite number of initial countries signed on and agreed to send delegations. Since 1977, karate has participated uninterrupted. Although at the beginning karate was only contested in the fighting or kumite category, forms or kata was included in 1981. In 1985, women's karate was added. Junior and youth categories made their debut in 2009. The World Karate Federation, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), oversees and supervises the rules of karate competition at the Maccabiah.

The Maccabiah Games are organized into four divisions: Open, Junior, Masters, and Paralympics.

  • Open – The Open games are generally unlimited in age, and are intended for the best athletes from each delegation, bound by the governing international rules in each sport.
  • Junior – The Junior Maccabiah games are open to any qualifying athlete aged 15–18.
  • Masters – The Masters games are for older competitors; they are divided into a number of different age categories.
  • Paralympic – The Paralympic games are generally open to all athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. Past games included
    Wheelchair Basketball
    .

In recent Maccabiot there has been a renewed interest in introducing new sports to the Maccabiah. In the

FEI.[62]

Champions and medalists

Main article:
Lists of Maccabiah Games medalists

Notable participants

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak at the 2009 Maccabiah Games.
NHL hockey player Zach Hyman and brother Spencer helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the 2013 Maccabiah Games.

Athletes who have competed in the Maccabiah Games include many Olympic gold medalists, world champions, and world record holders. Among them have been

Ori Sasson (judo).[64][65]

Participating nations

  – Countries that participated in the 19th Maccabiah (2013).
  – Past participants.
Main article:
List of participating nations at the Maccabiah

The Maccabiah Games have grown into one of the world's largest sporting events, with 85 participating countries in the current edition of the Maccabiah. Below is a list of countries that participated in the most recent games in 2017. Scroll down for participating nations from the 2014 edition and other games[66]

Early games featured many delegations from the

7th Maccabiah, stopped participating following the Iranian Revolution
. Some of these countries have participated under multiple flags. Countries that previously participated but did not in the most recent Maccabiah are:

Former entity:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "About Us – Maccabiah". Maccabiah. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Nauright, p. 364.
  3. ^ a b Goldman, Ilan (July 8, 2013). "Arab athletes at the Maccabiah: Going for gold, seeking recognition". Haaretz. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  4. ^ "Levine inducted into Jewish sports hall as Maccabiah athletes feted at JC," Archived July 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Ottawa Sun.
  5. ^ "80 N.J. athletes head to Maccabiah Games in Israel, world's third-largest sporting event". NJ.com. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015.
  6. Ynet News. Archived
    from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  7. ^
    The Huffington Post. Archived
    from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  8. ^ "Amar'e Stoudemire to Revisit Israel as a Maccabi Coach," Archived December 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Records Fall Before Maccabiah Games Even Begin; U.S. squad is largest ever in what officials say is 'a life-changing experience'," Archived July 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Jewish Week.
  10. ^ "Maccabiah Games Welcome 9,000 Athletes – Christian News 24–7 – CBN.com". cbn.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  11. ISBN 9781137291158
    .
  12. ^ a b c d Bard and Schwartz, p. 84.
  13. ^ "History of the Maccabiah Games". Maccabi Australia. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Porat, Avinoam (June 11, 2005). "Arab Israeli wins Maccabiah gold". Ynet. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  15. ^ "Leah Levey Set to Compete at Maccabiah Games in Israel Next Month". Case Western Reserve University. June 21, 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  16. ^ "Spirit of Judah Maccabee strides into the present day". CNN. December 24, 1997. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Mendelsohn p. 31.
  18. ^ Nauright, p. 365.
  19. ^ Nauright, p. 366.
  20. ^ a b Bard and Schwartz, p. 85.
  21. ^ Sinai, Allon (July 18, 2013). "The opening ceremony of 19th Maccabiah Games 2013". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  22. ^ "Israel prepares for Maccabiah, 2022's largest world sporting event". The Jerusalem Post. July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  23. ^ "Israel prepares for Maccabiah, 2022's largest world sporting event". The Jerusalem Post. July 9, 2022.
  24. ^ Wilensky, David A. M. (July 15, 2022). "Biden is first US president to attend Maccabiah 'Jewish Olympics'". J.
  25. ^ "First Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  26. ^ "Second Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  27. ^ "Third Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  28. ^ "Fourth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21. September 20, 1953.
  29. ^ "Fifth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  30. ^ "Sixth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  31. ^ "Seventh Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  32. ^ "Eighth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  33. ^ "Ninth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  34. ^ "Tenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  35. ^ "Eleventh Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  36. ^ "Twelfth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  37. ^ "Thirteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21. September 6, 2009.
  38. ^ "Fourteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  39. ^ "Fifteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21. September 7, 2009.
  40. ^ "Sixteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  41. ^ "Seventeenth Maccabiah", Maccabiah 21
  42. ^ "Eighteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  43. ^ "Nineteenth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  44. ^ "Twentieth Maccabiah". Maccabiah 21.
  45. ^ "Maccabiah 21". Maccabiah.
  46. ^ a b Mendelsohn p. 26.
  47. ^ a b Hanak. p. 1.
  48. ^ Hanak. p. 2.
  49. ^ Unknown (February 21, 1936). "Austria Wins Skiing Event in Winter Maccabiah". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  50. ^ Archivierte Kopie at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-03-04), Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  51. ^ Archivierte Kopie at the Wayback Machine (archived 2014-03-22) www.makkabi.com, retrieved 21 March 2014.
  52. ^ Archivierte Kopie at the Wayback Machine (archived 2013-12-31)
  53. ^ "EMG2015 Berlin".
  54. ^ "European Maccabi Games".
  55. ^ Pan American Maccabi Games Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  56. ^ Mainline Media News Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  57. ^ "Home - Maccabi Pan Ams - revolutioniseSPORT".
  58. ^ Maccabi Games index[dead link]
  59. ^ Junior Carnival History[dead link]
  60. ^ "Watch the Maccabiah Opening Ceremonies". July 18, 2013. The Jewish Exponent. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  61. ^ 17th Maccabiah Basic Regulations Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  62. ^ "FEI Grants Approval for Horse Sports at Maccabiah Games". Dressage News. March 2, 2013. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  63. Wisden
    . Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  64. ^ Lieberman, Randall P. (May 31, 2017). "Water polo among sports to be contested at Maccabiah Games". sun-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  65. ^ "Maccabiah". Maccabi World Union. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  66. ^ "Games / Competitions". The Maccabiah. July 2013. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.

Works cited

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maccabiah Games.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maccabiah_Games&oldid=1212639500"