But with nuclear talks between the United States and Iran at an impasse, fears of an imminent renewal of fighting make planning anything in Israel difficult these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to be in this situation again, but that\u2019s the reality in Israel now,\u201d said Roy Hessing, who replaced Gissin as the CEO of the Maccabi World Union earlier this year. \u201cThis year\u2019s competition isn\u2019t going to be our biggest, but the message we are giving is that the Maccabiah Games are going to go ahead this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite concerns and cancellations from delegations from several countries, about 5,000 participants from more than 40 countries are still expected to compete in the two-week international competition that starts on June 30. That\u2019s fewer than the 8,000 athletes that were planning to arrive from 55 countries last year, but a significant competition nonetheless.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Some countries, including Canada<\/a>, have pulled delegations due to safety concerns, and some of the less-popular sports competitions, like futsal, have been canceled, sources told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n \t Travel to Israel is expected to be sharply down this summer, with several airlines, such as Germany\u2019s Lufthansa<\/a>, saying they are only now preparing to gradually resume flights to and from Tel Aviv\u2019s Ben Gurion Airport from June 1.<\/p>\n But the international Jewish sports competition is still expected to see athletes of all ages compete in 30 different sports at stadiums across the country, in what organizers say is a source of Jewish pride for communities throughout the Diaspora. And for Israelis, the free tickets<\/a> to all events could make it a great summertime activity.<\/p>\n \u201cFor those that come, this will be a very meaningful experience,\u201d Hessing said.<\/p>\n A competitive sport<\/p>\n It might not attract as much international attention as, say, the World Cup, but the idea that a Jewish sports competition could vie to become the largest sports event in the world isn\u2019t as far-fetched as it might sound. The 2022 Maccabiah Games in Israel attracted about 10,000 athletes, making it second only to the Olympics in terms of the number of participants. (For comparison, 10,714 athletes competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.)<\/p>\n \t It\u2019s a Zionist tradition that predates the Jewish State. The first Maccabiah took place in Tel Aviv in March 1932, drawing over 390 athletes from 18 countries despite opposition from the British Mandate. After the second competition, several years later, the games were paused until 1950 under the shadow of the Holocaust. Since 1957, the games had been held every four years, with the exception of the 2021 games, delayed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n \t Last year, some 8,000 Jews from 55 countries were set to compete in the \u201cJewish Olympics\u201d until Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran on June 13. With Israeli airspace virtually closed at the time and no clear timetable for how the war would unfold, Maccabiah\u2019s leadership and Israel\u2019s Sport and Culture Ministry had no choice but to postpone the games. They announced that the competition would be held a year later with the \u201cSame values. Same vision. Just a little more time.\u201d<\/p>\n Cancelling last year\u2019s events, organized by more than 500 workers and 1,000 volunteers, cost about $6 million and thousands of man-hours, Hessing said.<\/p>\n Organizers said last year that setting up the opening ceremony in Jerusalem would require at least three weeks of preparation, and that most participants from abroad arrive a week before the games to tour the country and train.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s possible the same thing could happen again, but I don\u2019t want to think about it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The disruption is also harmful for the prestige of the entire event, noted David Wiseman, who runs the Follow Team Israel account on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that this event was postponed, after the previous one was also delayed due to COVID, is bad for the momentum of the competition,\u201d Wiseman said. \u201cThis event is needed now more than ever to help encourage young Jewish athletes who are fighting antisemitism in their countries, and it\u2019s a shame for this to take away from the excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n Hessing, meanwhile, is filled with optimism and excitement for the competition and thousands of youth who have spent years training for it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want to celebrate with everyone in Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cThe games should be a source of pride and happiness for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/F170706YS16-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tThe British delegation takes part in the opening ceremony of the 20th Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, July 6, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG-20220714-WA0082-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tSouth Africa\u2019s junior netball team at the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Maccabiah Games (Maccabi South Africa)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-11-at-3.41.16-PM-300x480.jpeg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tMaccabi World Union CEO Roy Hessing (Courtesy\/Ronen Topelberg)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n