CULTURE: Sports

Courtesy the Israel Olympic Committee

In the 60 years since the establishment of the State of Israel, sports have played an increasingly important role in the development of the country both at home and on the international stage. Despite its small population, Israel's athletes such as tennis star Shahar Pe'er and soccer player Yossi Benayoun regularly make an impact and a name for themselves. Israeli sports teams have also found success abroad, most notably the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, which has established itself as one of the best teams in Europe over the last decade. Israel's national teams have also been improving, with the soccer and basketball teams achieving impressive results.

Outside of the professional arena, sports have always been a significant pastime for hundreds of thousands of Israelis. With miles of beautiful coastline on the country's western border it's no surprise that an estimated half of the population swim regularly. The many months of warm weather encourage Israelis to enjoy outdoor sports, and a competitive attitude ensures youngsters become involved in dozens of different sporting activities from a young age.

Basketball and soccer

Soccer just edges basketball as the most popular sport in Israel. The professional soccer league, with 12 teams in the top Premier League division, is followed closely in the media and attracts crowds of up to 20,000 people at games. After half a decade at the top, Maccabi Haifa's era of unrivaled success appears to be waning, with Betar Jerusalem taking over, having won the league championship for the first time in nine years in May 2007.

Israeli clubs continue to outdo themselves in European competition. Over the years Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv have performed the best, with Hapoel reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in 2002, beating English giant Chelsea in the process, and Maccabi reaching the Champions League group stages in 2003, beating Manchester United that season.

The national soccer team has been gaining respect recently, especially after holding England to a 0-0 draw in its Euro 2008 qualifier in Ramat Gan in March 2007 and after coming within a point of qualification for the 2006 World Cup. Israeli soccer players are having an increasing impact on the world stage, with three playing at top clubs in England. In the summer of 2007, Israel captain Yossi Benayoun moved to Liverpool FC and defender Tal Ben Haim to Chelsea.

In basketball, Maccabi Tel Aviv are the kings of Israel, winning the local Premier League 36 out of the last 37 years. Its main rival is Hapoel Jerusalem, which lost in the Premier League playoff final to Maccabi in 2006 and 2007. In Europe, Maccabi missed out on the Euroleague Final Four in 2007 for the first time in four years, having reached the final in 2006 and won the competition in 2004 and 2005.

Hapoel Jerusalem has also had success in the European arena, competing in the ULEB Cup, a competition it won in 2005. The national basketball team has also established itself as a force to be reckoned with. In August 2007 it again qualified for the Biannual EuroBasket championship, an event it has participated in since 1993.

Women's basketball is popular in Israel, with two teams - Elitzur Ramle and Anda Ramat Hasharon - regularly battling for the league title. The two also compete in European competition. Female player Shay Doron has, in fact, made one of the biggest impacts of all Israelis after she became the first Israeli to play professional basketball in America in 2007, playing for the New York Liberty in the WNBA.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets with tennis player Shahar Peer, at the P.M's office in Jerusalem (Photo: GPO / A. Ohayon)

Tennis

In recent years Israeli tennis players have become a fixture at the world's biggest tournaments. Teenager Shahar Pe'er broke into the world's top 20 in 2006 and performs well at WTA-ranked tournaments around the world. Doubles pair Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich have also established themselves as one of the best in the world, staying in the world's top 10 for the last two years and qualifying for the year ending Master's Cup last season. Ram has also excelled in the mixed doubles competitions, twice winning Grand Slam events at the French Open with Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy in 2007 and at Wimbledon in 2006 with Russian Vera Zvonerava.

Despite having no mens singles players inside the world's top 100, Israel's national Davis Cup team has also performed impressively, reaching the World Group in September 2007 for the first time in 13 years following a stunning victory over Chile in front of 5,000 fans at the Ramat Hasharon Tennis Center.

Courtesy the Israel Olympic Committee

The Wingate Institute

An important factor in the success and development of Israeli sports is the Wingate Institute of Physical Education, the national sports center based in its own grounds close to the city of Netanya in central Israel. The institute includes an elite school for gifted young sports students, as well as the Department of Sports Medicine, a world leader in the field. The Council for Sporting Excellence, which determines which talented athletes will receive stipends to train full time, is also based at Wingate. Numerous Israeli sportsmen and women who have gone on to find success began their careers at Wingate, including Pe'er, Ram, and Erlich.

The Sports Authority of the Ministry of Science, Culture, and Sport sponsors the training of instructors and coaches at Wingate and oversees all sporting activity in Israel, coordinating the activities of the various sports federations and organizations and assisting in the development of programs.

Youngsters playing sports

Sports are of course not only for the outstandingly gifted. A sporting culture developed from the early years of the state, with youngsters encouraged to become involved in sports from a young age to promote both fitness and healthy competitiveness. Each week hundreds of thousands of young Israelis compete and play in sports ranging from soccer and basketball to kayaking, sailing, and rock climbing.

A number of major sports organizations run a network of clubs around the country as well as being affiliated to the major sports teams. The most well known include Maccabi (established 1912), Hapoel (1923), Betar (1924), Elitzur (1939), and the Academic Sports Association - ASA (1953). Schools and community centers also run local leagues and competitions with the  national school basketball and soccer finals broadcast on national television.

Sports as a hobby

Israel is a sporty nation. On any weekend visitors will see groups of people playing basketball on outside courts in parks around the country, going running in the streets, and playing soccer in the parks. The beaches provide great opportunity for sports. Israel has the highest per capita number of qualified scuba divers in the world, with 50,000, attracted by the unique marine life of the Red Sea. Windsurfing and water skiing are also popular as well as "paddleball", a locally developed beach game played by keeping a ball in the air by hitting it from paddle to paddle.

Away from the beaches, long-distance running is also high on the list of popular sports, with thousands participating in the annual marathon around Lake Kinneret in the North, beginning and ending in Tiberias, and triathlon events. Cycling is also very popular and the golf course in Caesarea is currently embarking on a redevelopment program. In the winter Mount Hermon in the North has become a beacon for local skiers. Other popular sports include table tennis, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, karate, and a form of self-defense called Krav Maga, developed by the IDF. Popular team sports include volleyball and handball, which both have their own professional leagues.

Photos courtesy the Israel Olympic Committee

Olympics and Maccabiah

Israel has always prided itself on its Olympic success, but until 2004 had never won a gold medal. That changed when windsurfer Gal Fridman came first in his competition at the 2004 Athens games. Arik Zeevi also won a medal at Athens, taking a bronze in the judo competition. Previous medal winners include Yael Arad and Oren Smadja (silver and bronze in judo in Barcelona, 1992) and Michael Kalganov (bronze in kayaking, Sydney. 2000). Pole vaulter Alex Averbukh has yet to win an Olympic medal but has won bronze and silver medals at the 1999 and 2001 World Athletics Championships, and the gold medal at the 2002 European Athletic Championships. Sailors Udi Gal and Gidi Kliger will compete in the 470 class at the 2008 Beijing games aiming for a medal, having won a bronze at the 2007 World Sailing Championships.

Every four years Israel hosts its own version of the Olympics - 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.

New Sports

Baseball is the newest professional sport to be introduced in Israel. The Israel Baseball League was launched in June 2007, with six teams playing at three fields. Some 120 players, mostly foreigners although including some Israelis, participated in the two-month-long season, attracted crowds of hundreds to Kibbutz Gezer, Yarkon Park in Petach Tikva, and Sportek in Tel Aviv. The opening game between the Modi'in Miracle and Petach Tikva Pioneers was watched by more than 3,000 people and was broadcast on local television. And over 2,000 people witnessed the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox, managed by former major leaguer Ron Blomberg, beat Modi'in in the playoff final in August 2007, to take the inaugural IBL Championship.

English speaking immigrants have introduced a number of other new sports to Israel including softball, cricket, and American football. Israel is a member of the International Cricket Association  (ICA), encouraged by Indian immigrants, South African immigrants brought rugby and lawn bowls to the country, and the local men's bowls team is one of the world's best. The American flag football league includes dozens of teams competing for the Holy Land Bowl each season.

Photo: M. Freidin

Disabled sports

Israel has had success in disabled sports, winning medals at the Paralympic games and giving disabled athletes an opportunity to excel. Israel took 24 athletes to the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, competing in cycling, horseback riding, swimming, shooting, sailing, archery, athletics, table tennis, and wheelchair tennis. A crew of three sailors won the gold in the mixed Sonar event and Israeli swimmers gained one gold, four silver, and three bronze medals. Keren Leibowitz is Israel's most celebrated Paralympic athlete, having won three gold medals in swimming competitions in Sydney 2000, three World Championships, and five European Championships.

The Israel Sports Association for the Disabled (ISAD) conducts a wide range of activities in many fields, including basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, shooting, riding, archery, swimming, and sailing. The Sports Beit Halohem clubs  for disabled army veterans and the Ilan organization for the disabled through injury and illness provide numerous activities.