Will more Israeli athletes ascend the winners’ podium this summer in Tokyo?
That’s the big question as Israel prepares to send its largest-ever Olympic delegation of 89 athletes to the 2020 Summer Olympics.
While our athletes are busy training to be faster, higher and stronger (that’s the Olympic motto) than their counterparts from 205 other countries, we’ve been busy gathering fun facts about Israel’s participation in the world’s ultimate sports festival.
As we get closer to the start of the Games, and during the competitions, we’ll bring you additional exciting content on the athletes representing Israel.
This is Israel’s 17th Summer Olympics
Israel has participated in every Summer Olympics between the Helsinki Games in 1952 and the Rio Games in 2016, except the 1980 Moscow Games.
Israel began participating in the Winter Olympics in 1994.
The medals we’ve won
Israel has won nine Summer Olympics medals: Yael Arad (silver, judo, 1992), Oren Smadja (bronze, judo, 1992); Gal Fridman (bronze, sailing, 1996); Michael Kolganov (bronze, canoeing, 2000); Ariel Ze’evi (bronze, judo, 2004), Gal Fridman (gold, sailing, 2004); Shahar Zubari (bronze, sailing, 2008), Yarden Gerbi (bronze, judo, 2016) and Ori Sasson (bronze, judo, 2016).
Biggest delegations ever
Israel sent 47 athletes in 17 sports to the 2016 Rio Games. The 2020/21 roster includes 89 athletes competing in 18 sports (see item #10). The full delegation, with coaches and other staff and officials, numbers 219.
Waving the blue-and-white
Swimmer Yaakov Tomarkin, 29, and triple jumper Hannah Knyazeva-Minenko, 31, were chosen as the flagbearers for the Israeli delegation at the Olympics opening ceremonies.
Tokyo is the third Olympics for both. Knyazeva-Minenko was part of the Ukrainian delegation to the 2012 London Games before moving to Israel.
New sports
This year, Israeli Olympians will compete for the first time in baseball, archery, surfing and equestrian.
The 24-player Israeli National Baseball Team will face off against the United States for its first game in the Olympic tournament.
Israeli equestrians who qualified to compete include Ashlee Bond, Danielle Goldstein Waldman, Teddy Vlock and Alberto Michán Halbinger.
Anat Lelior, 21, will be Israel’s first Olympic surfer – a new sport this year. Itay Shanny, 22, is Israel’s first Olympic archer.
Feeling the love in Watari
Barak Shine from the Israeli Embassy in Japan was invited to participate in the traditional pre-Games torch race in June. When the runners got to Watari, residents waved Israeli flags and banners.
Their appreciation stems from Israel having been the first country to send medical personnel to Watari following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Watari City Hall has flown the Israeli flag for the past two years, since officially signing on as Israel’s host city for the Olympics.
It’s a family affair
Both the Olympic and Paralympic delegations include married couples, each with a Jewish husband and non-Jewish wife. Maru Teferi and Selamawit Dagnachew Teferi are Olympic runners originally from Ethiopia.
In addition, we have siblings: Brothers Shachar (27) and Ran Sagiv (24) will be competing for Team Israel as triathlon athletes
Collector’s item
Three postage stamps were issued by the Israel Stamp Service in celebration of the Tokyo Olympics. Designed by Baruch Na’a, each stamp features one Olympic sport: swimming, horseback riding and gymnastics. The athletes are drawn in between two blue wavy lines to symbolize the national flag.
Star of David inspiration
Israel’s official uniform for the opening and closing ceremonies – T-shirts, chino shorts and pants and a transparent nylon jacket – is inspired by the Star of David. As in the past six Olympics, the uniforms were designed and manufactured by Israeli fashion house Castro.
Team Israel on TikTok
Because the Tokyo Games will be closed to spectators due to Covid concerns, the Israeli Olympic Committee launched a collaboration with video-sharing app TikTok to present exclusive content of the delegation and its travels in Tokyo.
More than 300 pieces of original content were already released: videos introducing Israeli athletes, interviews with international athletes, quizzes, challenges, footage from past games and much more.This article was written in cooperation with Harel.