Israel’s 35 Special Olympics athletes are aiming for gold at the Berlin Games

Thirty-five Israeli athletes in seven sports are set to represent the Jewish state at the Special Olympics in Berlin, which begin with the opening ceremony on Saturday.

Competitors from around the country with various cognitive disabilities compete for medals in athletics, judo, swimming, cycling, table tennis, football and bowling during the week. They will join 7,000 athletes from around the world who will compete in the German capital in different divisions according to their abilities.

We are more than excited, motivated, the mood is high – we have received so much support from so many different partners here in Israel, said Sharon Levy-Blanga, CEO of the Special Olympics Israel organization, a day before the delegations left.

Although Israel has sent a delegation to the Games for 30 years, this is the first time the Special Olympics Israel organization has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports as an official sports federation, which also includes financial support of around NIS 500,000 ($140,000).

It’s the first time in their lives that they get a stage that recognizes them as athletes, not just people with disabilities, Levy-Blanga said.

The government’s recognition of Special Olympics as Israel’s official sports federation, alongside the Israel Olympic Committee and Israel Paralympic Committee, happened earlier this year after extensive lobbying, Levy-Blanga said.

Special Olympics Israel CEO Sharon Levy-Blanga speaking at an event in Yanuh-Jat on October 24, 2022. (Courtesy)

The effort to gain such recognition began under the previous culture minister, National Unity’s Chili Tropper, with the help of Yesh Atid MK Simon Davidson, former president of the Israel Swimming Federation, and was completed earlier this year by Likud’s Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar.

Moshe Yaalon, a former IDF chief and former defense minister, has served as the organization’s chairman for the past year and also helped promote the new appointment. In a statement, Yaalon said the athletes in the delegation show that the human spirit can overcome all limitations.

Some of the Israeli athletes are returning medalists this year, including swimmer Avital Naveh, 44, who won gold in the 100m individual medley and bronze in the 100m backstroke at the 2019 Games in Abu Dhabi. 32-year-old Gilad Kalishov, who won two bronze medals in swimming four years ago, returns this time in bowling. Judoka Levav Barkan, who won a silver medal in Abu Dhabi, is going for gold this year.

Special Olympics swimmer Avital Naveh accepts a medal from the organization’s president, Moshe Ya’alon, at the national games in October 2022. (Courtesy)

Fourteen members of the delegation are part of the Israeli women’s national football team, which is heading to the Paralympic Games for the first time, coached by former star player Silvi Jan.

Several Israeli athletes compete in Unified Sport, where individuals with and without developmental disabilities compete together. This year, Israel is sending Unified athletes to table tennis and bowling.

We tried to show the public, to educate the community, that the victory is not only from the strongest to the weakest, said Levy-Blanga. Our athletes – who have been seen [by society] weak – support us in winning.

The Special Olympics Israel women’s national soccer team poses for a photo on June 5, 2023. (Ben Melnik)

One such couple in this year’s delegation is bowler Rivi Cohen, 38, who has been involved with the Special Olympics for years and competed in the 2011 and 2015 games, and Hana Duanis, 62, a former Israeli bowling champion. On the younger side of the series, 19-year-old Special Olympian tennis player Sonia Yanushuk is paired with 16-year-old Lior Revach, who plays in the Israeli national junior division; the pair competed in the Special Olympics tennis tournament in Budapest last year and went undefeated and took home the Unified gold medal.

If we thought all our lives that we were providing a service to the disabled, we changed the game and said that those disabilities are providing a service to us because the profit is uniform, said Levy-Blanga. It’s not us and them anymore; it’s just about working together and winning as a united couple.

In 2019, Israeli athletes collected 19 medals at the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, including four gold medals. Levy-Blanga is confident that the delegation will do just as well or even better this year.

We have a very strong cycling team, a very strong swimming team, but actually I see every sport bringing back a medal, he said.

Special Olympics cyclist Avi Elbaz will compete at nationals in October 2022. (Courtesy)

While the Special Olympics is all about participation, the 2019 games were marred when Syrian and Lebanese athletes refused to face their Israeli counterparts, a pattern seen repeatedly at all levels of international sport.

Levy-Blanga said she hopes it doesn’t happen again this year: Special Olympics is out of politics.

Special Olympics Israel organizes programming throughout the year and sends athletes to other international competitions, with approximately 3,500 athletes regularly participating in activities, including the first national Special Olympics Games held last year in the Galilee.

According to Levy-Blanga, the increased funding and recognition should bring about a welcome change in attitude.

“Without the government saying we believe in you, you are athletes, you are an important part of society, we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” he said. Only with the support of politics and legislation can we change attitudes from the core.

Former Israeli Olympians Yael Arad (left), Sagi Muki (second from right) and Hanna Minenko (right) pose for a photo with Special Olympics cyclists Tal Golan (center) and Noga Koren on June 8, 2023. (Ben Melnik)

This is the first time the athletes will officially represent the state of Israel at the Special Olympics, but more than that, Levy-Blanga said, they are participating in the fight for basic rights.

The reason is that they deserve to be employed, they deserve to study, they deserve to choose where they live and they deserve to play sports close to home so that every club can welcome them, he said. That’s the biggest message when they come home.