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Israel at the Olympics

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Template:Infobox Olympics Israel Israel has competed at the Olympic Games as a nation since 1952. Its National Olympic Committee was formed in 1933 during the British Mandate of Palestine. As the team represented the Jewish community, it boycotted the 1936 Games in Germany in protest of the Nazi Party's anti-Semitic policies. Israel has sent a team to each Summer Olympic Games since 1952 (except when they participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics) and to each Winter Olympic Games since 1994. In 1972, 11 members of the Israeli delegation were murdered by Black September terrorists.

Israel won its first Olympic medal only in its tenth Olympic appearance, in 1992. Judoka Yael Arad was credited with the first medal in Israel's history, a silver. She was followed a day later by another judoka, Oren Smadja, who won bronze. Since then, Israel won at least one medal in each Summer Olympics. In 2004, Gal Fridman became Israel's first gold medallist in men's windsurfing. This was his second medal, following his bronze in 1996, and he is the only multi-medallist.

Israel has been more successful at the Paralympic Games than at the Olympics. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Israelis won a total of thirteen medals, of which four were gold. Izhak Mamistvalov won three medals (of which two were gold) in swimming, while Keren Leibowitz won four medals, of which one was gold, also in swimming.[1] Israel, which has never hosted the Olympic Games, was the host of the 1968 Summer Paralympics, and finished third on the medal chart with 62 medals, of which 18 gold. Possibly the most successful Israeli Paralympian was Uri Bergman, who, between 1976 and 1988, won thirteen medals at the Paralympic Games, of which twelve gold. In total, Israel has won 113 gold medals at the Summer Paralympic Games, contrasted with just 1 at the Summer Olympic Games.

List of medalists

Medal Name Games Sport Event
 Silver Yael Arad 1992 Barcelona Judo Women's half middleweight
 Bronze Oren Smadja 1992 Barcelona Judo Men's lightweight
 Bronze Gal Fridman 1996 Atlanta Sailing Men's sailboard
 Bronze Michael Kolganov 2000 Sydney Canoeing Men's K-1 500 metres
 Bronze Ariel Zeevi 2004 Athens Judo Men's half heavyweight
 Gold Gal Fridman 2004 Athens Sailing Men's sailboard
 Bronze Shahar Zubari 2008 Beijing Sailing Men's sailboard

Medal tables

Medals by Games

1992 Barcelona 0 1 1 2
1996 Atlanta 0 0 1 1
2000 Sydney 0 0 1 1
2004 Athens 1 0 1 2
2008 Beijing 0 0 1 1
Total 1 1 5 7

Medals by sport

Sailing 1 0 2 3
Judo 0 1 2 3
Canoeing 0 0 1 1
Total 1 1 5 7

Olympic participants

299 athletes were members of the Israeli Olympic delegation, though six of them didn't actually take part in competitions.

Athletes by sports:

Sport Athletes Games Years[2]
Summer Olympics
Athletics 46 13 1952-1984, 1992-2008
Swimming[3] 41 14 1952-2008
Football 35 2 1968, 1976
Sailing 29 9 1972-2008
Shooting 25 13 1952, 1960-2008
Gymnastics[4] 23 8 1960, 1976-1992, 2000-2008
Judo 15 7 1976-1984, 1992-2008
Wrestling 14 7 1972-1976, 1988-2004
Basketball 13 1 1952
Fencing 13 9 1960, 1972-1984, 1992-2008
Weightlifting 11 6 1960, 1972-1984, 1992-1996
Tennis 9 5 1984-1992, 2004-2008
Canoe/Kayak 6 5 1984, 1996-2008
Boxing 5 3 1984-1988, 1996
Taekwondo 2 2 2004-2008
Cycling 2 1 1960
Table tennis 1 1 2004
Winter Olympics
Skating[5] 8 5 1994-2010
Skiing 1 2 2006-2010

Athletes killed in the 1972 Olympics

The eleven members of Israel's 1972 Olympic team killed during the Munich massacre:

References

  1. ^ "Israel's disabled athletes win medals in Athens", Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, September 26, 2004
  2. ^ Excluding 1980 Summer Olympics
  3. ^ Including synchronized swimming and diving
  4. ^ Artistic gymnastis + Rhythmic gymnastics
  5. ^ Figure skating + Short track speed skating
  • "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  • "The Olympic Committee of Israel". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  • www.sports-reference.com