Sport in Israel plays an important role inIsraeli culture and is supported by theMinistry of Culture and Sport. The most popular sports in Israel have traditionally beenAssociation football (mainly) andbasketball (secondly) – with the first being considered thenational sport[1] – in both of which Israeli professional teams have been competitive internationally. Israel is an international center for Jewish sport around the world and since 1932 theMaccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish athletes, is held in the country. Despite Israel's location in the Asian continent, the Israeli sports associations in various sports belong to the European associations due to the refusal of many Arab Asian countries to compete with Israeli athletes.
The government's support and budgeting of sports in Israel is relatively low in comparison to other western countries. However, many Israeli athletes and teams managed to gain international success. TheIsrael national basketball team has won 2 gold medals in theAsian Games and 1 silver medal at theEuropean Championship, and basketball clubMaccabi Tel Aviv is considered one of the best teams in Europe with 6 European titles. TheIsrael national football team has won theAFC Asian Cup and theIsrael Davis Cup team reached the semifinal of the2009Davis Cup. At theOlympic Games,Israel has won 20 medals.
Jewish physical fitness was promoted in the 19th century byMax Nordau and his concept ofMuscular Judaism.[2] TheMaccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish athletes inaugurated in 1932[3] is held every fours years.[4]
In 1964, Israel hosted and won theAFC Asian Cup.[5] In 1970, theIsrael national football team qualified for theFIFA World Cup, which was considered a major achievement for Israeli football.[6] Israel was excluded from the1978 Asian Games due to Arab pressure.[7]
Football (Hebrew:כדורגל,Kaduregel) is the most popular sport inIsrael. The sport is governed byIsrael Football Association. It joined theAsian Football Confederation in 1954, but was expelled in 1974 due to political pressure from Arab and Muslim members in the context of theArab–Israeli conflict. It was admitted toUEFA as an associate member in 1992 and as a full member in 1994, therefore their teams compete as part of Europe in all international competitions.
The matches that draw the largest crowds are those of theIsraeli Premier League. In 1967,Hapoel Tel Aviv became the first club to win theAsian Club Championships. In the2001–02 UEFA Cup Hapoel reached the quarter-finals after knocking outChelsea,Lokomotiv Moscow andParma.
Israeli teams were also qualified five times to theUEFA Champions League group stage, includingMaccabi Haifa in the2002–03 and2009–10 seasons,Maccabi Tel Aviv in the2004–05 and2015–16 seasons andHapoel Tel Aviv in the2010–11 season.
TheIsrael national football team hosted and won the1964 AFC Asian Cup and qualified for the1970 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Mexico.Mordechai Spiegler scored in a 1–1 draw against Sweden. Israel's Olympic football team qualified for the1968 Summer Olympics and the1976 Summer Olympics both times reaching the quarter-finals. Israel's highestFIFA ranking was 15th in November 2008.
Famous matches of the Israeli football team include the 3–2 win inFrance in the 1994 world championship qualifying games, which ended up disqualifying the French team from the championship in the United States, the defeat ofAustria 5–0 in 1999 duringEuro 2000 qualifications, and a 2–1 win overArgentina in a friendly match in 1998, a game played inTeddy Stadium inJerusalem.
Successful Israeli players who also played outside Israel includeEli Ohana,Giora Spiegel,Ronny Rosenthal,Avi Cohen,Eyal Berkovich,Haim Revivo,Dudu Aouate andYossi Benayoun.
Notable Israeli players have included:
Basketball (כדורסל,Kadursal) is the second most popular sport in Israel.Hapoel Jerusalem,Hapoel Tel Aviv andMaccabi Tel Aviv dominate the domestic league and are among the top teams in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv has won theEuropean championship 6 times, in1977,1981,2001,2004,2005 and2014. Hapoel Jerusalem won theEurocup in 2004.
TheIsrael national basketball team has participated 23 times in theEuropean Championship. Their best achievements were a silver medal inEuroBasket 1979, and 5th place in1953 and1977. The national team also played in twoWorld Championships and once in theSummer Olympic Games.
Israeli basketball is known for itsnational under-20 team, winning back to back gold medals in2018 &2019, three silver medals in2000,2004,2017, and finishing 4th three times (1994, 2005, 2022), 5th (1992), and 6th (2007).Israel U-20 also took place in the U-21 World Championship, finishing twice in 7th place (2001,2005), and 6th place (1993).
The renowned "Israeli coaching school" produced many of the most successful European basketball coaches, such asRalph Klein,Pini Gershon,David Blatt, andZvi Sherf.
Deni Avdija is an active player in the NBA,Omri Casspi previously played in theNBA.Gal Mekel, previously played in the NBA andShay Doron previously played in theWNBA.[14]David Blatt coached the NBACleveland Cavaliers. Other notable Israeli basketball players have included:
Baseball was first introduced into the region on July 4, 1927, when baseball equipment was distributed at the Sephardic Orphanage in Jerusalem.
TheIsrael Baseball League, managed by Larry Baras, was established in 2007.[24] It was the first professional baseball league in the Middle East. In its first and only season it had six teams that played in three stadiums. The first and only champions were theBet Shemesh Blue Sox managed byRon Blomberg.
TheIsrael national baseball team applied, unsuccessfully, to participate in the2009 World Baseball Classic. They were subsequently invited to participate in the newly created qualifying round of the2013 World Baseball Classic. During the2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier Israel qualified for the main tournament and finished in sixth place.
Team Israel won the2019 European Baseball Championship – B-Pool in early July 2019 inBlagoevgrad,Bulgaria,winning all five of its games. It thus advanced to the playoffs againstTeam Lithuania in the2019 Playoff Series at the end of July 2019 for the last qualifying spot for the2019 European Baseball Championship.[25] Israel won the best-of-three playoff series 2–0, and thereby qualified for the2019 European Baseball Championship.
In Round 1 of the 2019 European Baseball Championship, Israel went 4–1. The team thereby advanced to the Championship's eight-team playoffs.[26] In the Championship playoffs, Israel defeatedTeam France in the quarterfinals, lost toTeam Italy in the semi-finals, and came in fourth.[27]
Because Team Israel finished in the top five in the 2019 European Baseball Championship, it earned the right to participate in the2020 Olympics qualifiers Africa/Europe Qualifying Event. As the winner of that tournament it qualified to be one of the six national teams that competed at the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Every member of the 24-member Team Israel that competed to qualify in the Olympics was Israeli, with four of the players native-born.[28] The others madealiyah to Israel, under Israel'sLaw of Return, which gives anyone with a Jewish parent or grandparent or who is married to a Jew the right to return to Israel and be granted Israeli citizenship.[28]
Chess is a leading sport in Israel. There are many Israeli grandmasters andIsraeli chess players have won a number of youth world championships.[29] Israel stages an annual internationalchampionship and hosted theWorld Team Chess Championship in 2005. The Ministry of Education and theWorld Chess Federation agreed upon a project of teaching chess within Israeli schools, and it has been introduced into the curriculum of some schools.[30] The city ofBeersheba has become a national chess center, with the game being taught in its kindergartens. Owing partly to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number ofchess grandmasters of any city in the world.[31][32] The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the2008 Chess Olympiad[33] and the bronze, coming in third among 148 teams, at the2010 Olympiad. Israeli grandmasterBoris Gelfand won theChess World Cup 2009.[34]
Whilechess, as an intellectual sport, has always been played in Israel, the arrival of large numbers ofJewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s brought manychess grandmasters to Israel and increased interest in the game.
Israel Swimming Association is the major swimming federation in Israel. Swimming is popular in Israel's many beaches along theMediterranean coast, theSea of Galilee (including open-water swimming marathons),[35] in theRed Sea at the shores ofEilat, in theDead Sea and in swimming pools. Famous Israeli swimmers includeEithan Urbach,Michael Halika,Gal Nevo,Yoav Gath,Yoav Bruck,Vered Borochovski,Amit Ivry, andAnna Gostomelsky. At the1996 Summer Olympics inAtlanta, Israel's team qualified to the final of the prestigiousMen's 4 × 100 metre medley relay.Uri Bergman won 12 gold medals at theParalympic Games, and other paralympic swimmers such asIzhak Mamistvalov andKeren Leibovitch won several gold medals as well.
The country's first swimming pool was built in 1933 as part of theJerusalem YMCA. The first regulation-size swimming pool was built in 1935, just before the secondMaccabiah, inBat Galim.[36]
Rowing is a growing sport in Israel, and has seen a major breakthrough in recent years.Dani Fridman, Israel Champion, is currently ranked 10th in the world, andMoran Samuel is Israel's 1st rowing world champion[37] (paralympic). Samuel, won her first Paralympic bronze medal, after coming 3rd at the Rio2016 Summer Paralympics. Other Rio 2016 participants are Yulia Chernoy and Reuven Magnagey, who rowed together in a double scull boat and finished 9th.
TheDaniel Rowing Centre in Tel Aviv is Israel's prime training facility, and the home of the national Olympic and Paralympic squad. The sport is practiced in Tel AvivYarkon River,KishonPort of Haifa andTiberiusSea of Galilee.
Other prominent athletes areOleg Gonorovski,Tomer Shvartsman,Roni Iuster andDiana Egerton-Warburton.
TheIsraeli Rowing Federation is an active member of theInternational Rowing Federation –FISA.
Highly ranked players includeShlomo Glickstein (world ranked #22 at his peak),Amos Mansdorf (ranked #18 at his best),Dudi Sela (ranked #29 at his best),Anna Smashnova (ranked #15 at her best),Shahar Pe'er (ranked #11 at her best) as well as the doubles team ofAndy Ram andJonathan Erlich (world #5 team in 2006 and 2008 Australian Open champions) – all of whom have trained at theIsrael Tennis Centers. Since 2008, both men's and the women's teams have qualified for the top groups in the world – the men are in theDavis Cup world group, and the women are in theFed Cup world group I. In December 2012, 12-year-old Yshai Oliel ofRamla,Israel, won the 51st Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship for his age group.[38]
Track and fieldathletics in Israel are mainly focused around theMaccabiah Games and the internationalOlympic Games, where Israel has achieved notable successes during its short history. TheSoviet-bornAleksandr Averbukh was the most successful Israeli track and field athlete, having won three gold medals in thepole vault at European championships (2000 — indoor,2002 and2006) as well as two medals at the World championships (1999 and2001).
On August 5, 2022, Israeli-bornBlessing Afrifah won the gold medal in the 200 meter race at theWorld Athletics U20 Championships.[39]
Long-distance running is popular in Israel. TheTiberias Marathon,Tel Aviv Marathon, and theJerusalem Marathon take place annually in January, February, and March respectively.[40] Another half marathon is held annually atEin Gedi, near theDead Sea.[41] There are various other shorter distance races over the course of the year through very different regions and terrains.
Maru Teferi is an Israeli two-time Olympic marathoner. He won a silver medal in marathon at the2023 World Athletics Championships, a silver medal in marathon at the2022 European Athletics Championships, and the gold medal at the 2022Fukuoka International Marathon.
The center of American football in Israel is theKraft Family Stadium inJerusalem. Currently, there are 4 leagues playingFlag Football. The WAFI which has 13 teams: high school level which has 12 teams and a youth team, all under the association of The AFI.[42] In addition, there are three leagues playing tackle-football: a junior high school football league (which has donated equipment), a high school league – IHFL[43] and an adult's league – IFL[44] (Israeli Football League). The IFL has 11 teams coming fromJerusalem,Petah Tikva,Tel Aviv,Haifa,Beersheba andRamat HaSharon. The game is mainly played byex-pats from America, South Africa, England and France. The largest league in 2007 was men's contact who competed in the annual Holyland Bowl championship. Some 1000 players are involved in weekly football activities.[45]
In 2015 theIsrael national American football team had their first international game, in the qualifier for the European Championship.[46]
In Israel, boxing is not just a sport but an educational vehicle for helping young people overcome prejudices. The Israel Boxing Association (IBA) operates certified gyms in cities throughout the country, with 1,800 active members from Arab villages and Ethiopian and Russian immigrant population centers. Boxers as young as 11 train and participate in matches organized by the association. IsraeliYuri Foreman is a formerWorld Boxing Association super welterweight champion.[47]Roman Greenberg is currentlyInternational Boxing Organization's (IBO's) Intercontinentalheavyweight champion.Hagar Finer is theWIBF champion bantamweight.[48]
Adi Rotem ofTel Aviv is the current world champion inThai boxing in the under-52 kilogram class.[49]Ilya Grad is considered one of the eight best amateur Thai boxers in the world.[50] In February 2012, Grad won the WCK international title in China and was permitted to enter Malaysia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, on an Israeli passport.[51]Ido Pariente is an Israel lightweight Pankration World Champion.
Michael Kolganov, a Soviet (Uzbek)-born Israeli sprint canoer, has been a world champion and won an Olympic bronze in the K-1 500-meter.
Israel became an associate member of the ICC in 1974. Israel competed in the1979 ICC Trophy, the inaugural edition of what is now theCricket World Cup Qualifier, but failed to get past the first round. They also failed to progress beyond the first round in the1982 and1986 tournaments.They reached the plate competition of the ICC Trophyin 1990 and1994 and in 1996 competed in their firstEuropean Championship in Denmark, finishing eighth in the eight team tournament.
In the1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia, they faced political demonstrations throughout the tournament from theIslamic Party of Malaysia. They were the first Israeli sports team to play in the country and finished in 21st place.
In 1998, they finished ninth in the European Championship ahead of onlyGibraltar and the following year travelled to Gibraltar to take part in a quadrangular tournament also involvingFrance andItaly.
Israel have been playing in Division Two of the European Championships since 2000, finishing fifth in 2000, fourth in 2002, sixth in 2004 and seventh in 2006.
In November 2007, Israel were defeated in a relegation match againstCroatia, in the first international cricket game played in Israel. The loss meant that they were relegated from Europe Division Two to Europe Division Three. In 2009 they were re-promoted to second division with a win over Croatia.
At the2016 ICC Europe Division Two tournament Israel finished fourth, behindGermany,Sweden, andSpain
There is a night cricket league playing a modified form of indoor cricket.[52]
Israel national men's curling team has been competing as part of the European playdowns since 2014. Israel has sent teams to the world mixed, world mixed doubles and world men's seniors competitions as well.
Notable Israeli equestrians include:
Notable Israeli fencers have included:
Israel has one regulationice rink, located inMetulla, a city on theLebanese border. Israel has been sending teams to theWinter Olympics since 1994. In 2002,Galit Chait (world championship bronze medalist) andSergei Sakhnovski (world championship bronze medalist) finished sixth inice dancing.[59]Alexandra Zaretski,Belarusian-born Israeli, ice dancer, Olympian,[60] andRoman Zaretski, Belarusian-born Israeli, ice dancer, Olympian[61] a brother and sister ice-dancing pair, came in ninth in the 2008 world championships and first in the 2009World University Games.[59]
Other notable Israeli skaters include:
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Israel has a single 18-holegolf course namedCaesarea Golf & Country Club and located in the town ofCaesarea and a smaller 9 hole course called Gaash Golf Club located atkibbutzGa'ash.[66] Notable Israeli golfers include Big Break contestant Oren Geri,Ron “Racehorse” Smith, Rami Asayag,Asher Iyasu and world blind golfing championZohar Sharon.[67]Laetitia Beck has won the Israeli Championship five times, including for the first time when she was 12 years of age, and won gold medals in golf in both the 2009 and 2013 Maccabiah Games, and is the first Israeli to compete in anLPGA Tour tournament.[68]
Israeli gymnastNeta Rivkin won a silver medal in theRhythmic Gymnastics European Championships held inMinsk in 2011, to become the first gymnast of the country to win a medal at the European Championships.[69] Rivkin also won the first world medal for Israel in rhythmic gymnastics at theWorld Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships held inMontpellier, France in 2011, and she won the bronze medal at the hoop final. The Israeli rhythmic gymnastic group also won the bronze medal at the event final of 3 ribbons and 2 hoops at the World Championships in Montpellier.
Linoy Ashram became the first Israeli rhythmic gymnast to win an individual all-around medal at the 2017 World Championships. She is the most decorated Israeli rhythmic gymnast, with 6 silver and 5 bronze medals at the World Championships (2017, 2018, 2019), 2 bronze medals at the 2017 European Championships and 2 gold and 2 silver medals at the 2019 European Games and recently at the 2020 European Championships, she won the gold medal in the Individual All-Around Event making her the first Israeli to win an All Around gold medal in the European Championships.[70]
In 2013,Alexander Shatilov won a gold medal at the European championship in gymnastics in Moscow, Russia.[71] In 2017,Artem Dolgopyat, an Israeli artistic gymnast, won a silver medal at the World Championships. In 2021,Artem Dolgopyat, an Israeli artistic gymnast, won a gold medal at the2020 Summer Olympics.[72]
Israel's men's national handball team participated in the 2002European Men's Handball Championship in Sweden. Local powerHapoel Rishon Lezion qualified for the quarterfinals of theEHF Champions League in 2000.
Ice hockey started in Israel in 1986 when the first rink opened inKiryat Motzkin. Israel has a following of over 1,000 ice hockey players. Israel took part in the2007Ice Hockey Division II World Championships.
Notable players have included:
Lacrosse is the country's fastest growing sport.[75]
TheIsrael men's national lacrosse team has competed in theEuropean Lacrosse Championships in 2012 finishing in 8th place, and in 2016 finished 2nd. Additionally they finished 7th at theWorld Lacrosse Championship in 2014.
Domestically, there are two men's clubs and one women's club that operate within Israel.[76]
Krav Maga is taught to most citizens in the army, and practiced recreationally throughout the country. The Association of Martial Arts in Israel is chaired byHamad Amar, anIsraeli Druze member of theKnesset.[77] Krav Maga’s effectiveness and practical approach to self-defense have won it widespread admiration and adherence around the world.[78]
Nili Block is a world championkickboxer andMuay Thai fighter.[79]Yulia Sachkov is a world champion kickboxer.
Judo is one of the five sports in which Israeli athletes have won Olympic medals. It is the most successful Israeli sport at the Olympics providing five of the nine Olympic medals Israel has won. In 2013,Yarden Gerbi won a gold medal at the Judo World Championships, and in 2016 she won a bronze medal at the Olympics.[80] Other notable Israeli judokas include:
The Israel Motor-Sport Association was founded in 1990. It has organised rally, autocross, rallycross and drag racing competitions.
Auto racing was legalized in 2011. A 1.5 km permanent racetrack was opened inPort of Eilat, where Formula Israel competitions are held.
Notable Israeli drivers includeChanoch Nissany (Formula One test-driver),[11]Roy Nissany andAlon Day.
Netball was introduced in Israel in 1999 by Jodi Carreira. Today there are clubs in Ra'anana, Modi'in, Jerusalem, Kfar Etzion and Tel Aviv, all of which have teams participating in the Israel National Netball League. Israel Netball[85] has sent senior and junior teams to international events, culminating in its first international win in Ireland in June 2008. The netball tournament of the Maccabiah has been hosted by Israel Netball since 2001. Currently ranked 36, Israel is a member of theInternational Netball Federation and ofNetball Europe.
Rugby union is a minor sport brought to the country by British soldiers during theMandate era. The first game post-independence was in 1951, organized byLeo Camron. A wave of immigration from English speaking countries, and France, since 1967 renewed interest in the sport, particularly in areas with large English-speaking populations such asRa'anana andJerusalem. A national league was set up in 1972, and the Israel Rugby Union (now Rugby Israel) formed in 1975. Israel's first international match was away toSwitzerland on 25 May 1981, and ended 9–9. The Israel Union joined theInternational Rugby Board in 1988. Rugby union has also featured at theMaccabiah Games since 1981. Israel has entered theRugby World Cup Sevens.
The women's rugby league in Israel consists of two teams in Tel Aviv, two in Haifa and one each in Jerusalem, Galilee and Ra’anana. An eighth club is scheduled to open in Beersheba in October 2019.[86]
KibbutzYizre'el has been a big centre of Rugby in Israel after a group of South AfricanOlim made a push to make the game bigger in the country.[87]
The Israel Softball Association[88] (fastpitch) was established in 1979 by a group of immigrants from North and South America. The Israel Softball Association is a registered Non Profit Organization which is recognized by the Sports Authorities in Israel and is a member of "Ayelet" – the Israeli Association of Non-Olympic Competitive Sports.The activities conducted by the Israel Softball Association have assisted in the social integration of immigrants countrywide, and today its members also include many native Israelis.The Association consists of 10 men's teams Divided into A Pool and B Pool, 3 women's teams,21 junior boys teams and 4 junior girls teams.The Israeli National Teams represent the country in European Championships and other International Competitions.
Bothmen andwomen competed at the 2022European Championships.[89][90] By virture of its performance at the 2022 European Championships, the women's side qualified for the 2023 World Championships, being the first time the team will compete in this tournament.[91] Israel will host the 2024 European Championships.[92]
Israeli windsurferGal Fridman won two Olympic medals, gold and bronze, and was inducted into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[93] Israeli windsurferShahar Tzuberi won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.[94] In March 2012, Israeli windsurferLee Korzits won the women's RS-X title in the Sailing World Championships for the third time in a row.[95] Israeli windsurferKaty Spychakov won a silver medal in the Women's2019 RS:X World Championships, and was an U21 winner in the Women's 2019 RS:X World Championships.[96][97][98][99] At the2024 Summer Olympics,Tom Reuveny won thegold medal in theMen's iQFoil, andSharon Kantor won the silver medal in theWomen's IQ Foil.
Seven Israeli wrestlers competed at the 2010 Senior European Championship inBaku. Four were Greco-Roman wrestlers while the others were freestyle.[100] Gotsha Tzitziashvily competed at theSummer Olympics inAthens. He held the world championship title in the 84-kilogram weight class in 2003.[100]
Stand up paddle boarding is becoming increasingly popular in Israel. A very accessible lifestyle sport on flat water there are many expeditions available such as the '4 Seas in 4 days'.[101] SUP Surfing is also very popular in Israel and it can offer some world class conditions.[102]
TheMaccabiah Games are an international Jewish athletic event, similar to the Olympics, held every four years in Israel. The first games were held in1932.[103]
Israeli athletes and teams are barred from some competitions.[104] In addition, in many worldwide competitions, such asthe Olympics, someArab and Muslim competitors avoid competing against Israelis.[105][106] Some countries even force their athletes not to compete against Israelis or in Israel.Mushir Salem Jawher, aKenyan-bornmarathoner, lost hisBahraini citizenship after competing in theKinneret Marathon in Israel.[107]
Despite the country's political problems, Arab sportsmen have always been full participants in Israeli sports teams, contributing to Israel's success in the international arena, also playing in theIsrael national football team. They includeRifat (Jimmy) Turk,Najwan Ghrayib,Walid Badir,Salim Toama,Abbas Suan and more.[108] Another Israeli Arab, Johar Abu Lashin, born inNazareth, was anIBOWelterweight champion.[109][110]
Israel has won thirteen Olympic medals.Gal Fridman won Israel's first Olympic gold medal at the2004 Summer Olympics.
Television, radio,newspapers and newsweb sites discuss Israeli sports.In 2010, Israel sports radio, the country's first English-language all-sports talk radio station, was established, covering Israeli and American sports.[123][124]
The main football leagues air on Sport 1, Sport 2 (both owned by Charlton Broadcasting Company) andSport 5. Other sports channels includeEurosport andFox Sports.
Facebook page, Follow Team Israel, shares the news of Israeli sport to the world.[125][126][127]
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