Sports in Israel

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, sports have played an increasingly important role in the development of the country both at home and on the international stage. Despite its small population, Israel’s athletes, such as tennis star Shahar Pe’er and soccer player Yossi Benayoun, have achieved international recognition. Israeli sports teams have also found success abroad, most notably the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, which has consistently ranked among the best teams in Europe and won multiple championships. Israel’s national teams, especially in soccer and basketball, have also been improving.

Sports have always been a significant pastime for hundreds of thousands of Israelis outside the professional arena. With miles of beautiful coastline on the country’s western border, it’s no surprise that an estimated half of the population swims regularly. The many months of warm weather encourage Israelis to enjoy outdoor sports, and a competitive attitude ensures youngsters become involved in dozens of sporting activities from a young age.

Soccer (Futbol)
Basketball
Tennis
The Wingate Institute
Youngsters Playing Sports
Sports as a Hobby
Olympics & Maccabiah
New Sports
Cycling
Sports for Persons with Disabilities

Soccer

Soccer edges basketball as the most popular sport in Israel. The professional soccer league, with 12 teams in the top Premier League division, is followed closely in the media and attracts crowds of up to 20,000 people at games. After half a decade at the top, Maccabi Haifa’s era of unrivaled success appears to be waning, with Betar Jerusalem taking over, having won the league championship for the first time in nine years in May 2007.

Israeli clubs continue to improve in European competition, and Maccabi Haifa reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2003 and 2010.

Israeli soccer players are having an increasing impact on the world stage. In the summer of 2007, Israel captain Yossi Benayoun moved to Liverpool FC and defender Tal Ben Haim to Chelsea, while in January 2008, Tamir Cohen joined Bolton Wanderers. In November 2017, Israeli soccer star Eran Zahavi was named the Most Valuable Player in the Chinese Super League after finishing the season as the league’s top goal scorer. Before being recruited by the Guangzhou R&F club in 2015, Zahavi played for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team in Israel.

Israel participates in the Homeless World Cup, a soccer competition run by the Homeless World Cup Foundation. The organization hopes to alleviate homelessness worldwide by providing homeless individuals with a social safety net and self-confidence. Israel is one of 74 countries, including the United States, participating in the Homeless World Cup, which draws an annual attendance of approximately 80,000 people.

In November 2017, FIFA, the international governing body of professional football, rejected a Palestinian Football Association request to take punitive action against Israeli soccer teams based in settlements beyond the Green Line. The Palestinian group argued that the Israeli teams violated FIFA rules forbidding teams from playing in another nation’s territory without permission. FIFA rejected the Palestinian arguments because there is no permanent, recognized border.

In 2023, Israel’s under-20 men’s soccer team shocked Brazil on its way to reaching the FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinals in Argentina. After losing to Uruguay 1-0, it settled for third place by beating Korea 3-1.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Israel will return to Olympic soccer for the first time since 1976, starting with a match against Mali. Israel earned its spot by reaching the semifinals at the 2023 UEFA European U-21 Championship. This comes amid Palestinian efforts to urge FIFA to suspend Israel from international competition over the country’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, with a decision to be made by August 31, 2024.

On November 7, 2024, following a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Israeli fans were subjected to violent, seemingly coordinated attacks by pro-Palestinian rioters. Groups of masked assailants, reportedly including local Muslims and Arabs, hunted, harassed, and beat Israelis in various locations across the city, shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Dutch police struggled to protect the fans, resulting in injuries, arrests, and fears of more violence. Several fans hid in their hotels, while some were attacked en route to the airport.

In response, Israeli officials condemned the violence as anti-Semitic, calling it a “pogrom,” and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof pledged to track down those responsible. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially ordered military planes to assist citizens but later canceled the plan after civil aviation options were deemed sufficient. Authorities in Amsterdam increased police patrols and advised Israelis to avoid displaying Jewish symbols in public. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon denounced the attacks, comparing them to historical atrocities such as Kristallnacht.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders and U.S. anti-Semitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt also condemned the violence, with Lipstadt likening it to a “classic pogrom” and calling for a thorough investigation into the police response. The incident has intensified concerns over anti-Semitic violence in Europe, with leaders calling for increased protections for Jewish and Israeli citizens.

Basketball

The Israeli Basketball Association, Israel’s professional basketball league, comprises eleven teams based mostly in cities in the country's center, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Herzliya. However, there are also teams in Haifa, Ashkelon, and Ashdod. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the most successful of these teams and has historically dominated the league. Maccabi Tel Aviv has also won the Euroleague championship six times, the first time on April 7, 1977, and then again in 1981, 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2014.

 In 2009, former Maccabi player Omri Casspi made history as the first Israeli to play in the NBA after the Sacramento Kings drafted him.

Hapoel Jerusalem has also had success in the European arena, competing in the ULEB Cup, a competition it won in 2005. In 2009, it again qualified for the Biannual EuroBasket championship, an event it has participated in since 1993.

Women’s basketball is popular in Israel, with two teams – Elitzur Ramle and Anda Ramat Hasharon – regularly battling for the league title. The two also compete in European competitions. Shay Doron became the first Israeli to play professional basketball in America in 2007, playing for the New York Liberty in the WNBA.

The Basketball Without Borders program sponsored a camp in Israel featuring current and former NBA players and coaches in August 2017. Sixty of the top under-17 basketball players throughout Europe and the Middle East participated in the program and trained under professional players. Additionally, Basketball Without Borders brought Israeli and Palestinian children together to play games and sponsored a new area for children at the Jerusalem YMCA. Basketball Without Borders has held camps in 26 countries since its founding in 2001, and this was the first time that Israel hosted a camp.

Israel’s national under-20 basketball team won their first European Championship title in July 2018, beating the Croatian squad 80-66.  

Tennis

Israeli tennis players have become fixtures at the world’s biggest tournaments in recent years. Teenager Shahar Pe’er broke into the world’s top 20 in 2006 and performed well at WTA-ranked tournaments worldwide, including reaching the doubles finals of the Australian Open in 2008.

Doubles pair Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich have also established themselves as one of the best in the world, winning the 2008 Australian Open and staying in the world’s top 10 for years. Ram has also excelled in mixed doubles competitions. In 2006, he won Wimbledon with Russian Vera Zvonerava and, in 2007, captured the French Open with his French partner Nathalie Dechy.

Israel also regularly participates in the Davis Cup competition. In 2009, the team reached the semifinals for the first time in its history.

The Wingate Institute

An important factor in the success and development of Israeli sports is the Wingate Institute of Physical Education, the national sports center based on its grounds close to Netanya in central Israel. The institute includes an elite school for gifted young sports students and the Department of Sports Medicine, a world leader. The Council for Sporting Excellence, which is also based at Wingate, determines which talented athletes will receive full-time training stipends. Numerous successful Israeli athletes, including Pe’er, Ram, and Erlich, began their careers at Wingate.

The Sports Authority of the Ministry of Science, Culture, and Sport sponsors the training of instructors and coaches at Wingate and oversees all sporting activity in Israel, coordinating the activities of the various sports federations and organizations and assisting in developing programs.

Youngsters Playing Sports

A sporting culture developed from the state’s early years, with youngsters encouraged to participate in sports from a young age to promote fitness and healthy competitiveness. Hundreds of thousands of young Israelis join in sports ranging from soccer and basketball to kayaking, sailing, and rock climbing each week.

Several major sports organizations run a network of clubs around the country and are affiliated with major sports teams. The most well-known include Maccabi (established 1912), Hapoel (1923), Betar (1924), Elitzur (1939), and the Academic Sports Association – ASA (1953). Schools and community centers also run local leagues and competitions with the national school basketball and soccer finals broadcast on national television.

Israel was home to the International Children’s Games in early August 2018, hosting 750 boys and 750 girls from 29 countries in Jerusalem for the event. The International Children’s Games is held in different cities around the globe every year and is an official organization of the International Olympic Committee.  Children aged 12-15 participated in nine sports over the three-day event: basketball, soccer, street ball, volleyball, fencing, judo, athletics, tennis, and swimming.

On November 5, 2024, Israeli jiu-jitsu competitor Daniel Boaron, 13, won the gold medal in the under-14 division at the World Jiu-Jitsu Federation championship in Crete after his Emirati opponent, Ahmed Alketbi, was disqualified for making a throat-cutting gesture toward the Israeli delegation. Alketbi initially won on points, but the Israeli team immediately protested the gesture, leading to his disqualification after two hours of deliberation by the judges. Daniel expressed hope for a future rematch under better sportsmanship. The competition saw multiple victories for other Israeli athletes across age and weight categories, highlighting a solid Israeli presence despite encountering hostility from some other teams.

Sports as a hobby

On any weekend, visitors will see groups of people playing basketball on outside courts in parks around the country, running in the streets, and playing soccer in the parks. The beaches provide an excellent opportunity for water sports. Israel has the highest per capita number of qualified scuba divers in the world, with 50,000 attracted by the unique marine life of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Windsurfing and water skiing are also popular, as well as Matkot, a locally developed beach game played by keeping a ball in the air by hitting it from paddle to paddle.

Away from the beaches, long-distance running is also high on the list of famous sports, with thousands participating in the annual marathon around Lake Kinneret in the North, beginning and ending in Tiberias. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv also have yearly marathons. More than 35,000 runners from 72 different countries participated in the 2018 Jerusalem Marathon, the largest participation in the event’s history.

In the winter, Mount Hermon in the North has become a beacon for local skiers. Other popular sports include cycling, table tennis, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, karate, and a form of self-defense called Krav Maga, developed by the IDF. Popular team sports include volleyball and handball, which both have their own professional leagues in Israel.

Olympics & Maccabiah

Israel participated in its first Summer Olympics at Helsinki in 1952 and participated in everyone except the 1980 Moscow Games. Israel began participating in the Winter Olympics in 1994. Figure skater Michael “Misha” Shmerkin was the only member of the team. He marched in the opening ceremonies on February 12 and finished 16th in his event.

Israel has won 10 medals in the Summer Olympics (3 gold, one silver, and nine bronze). Yael Arad won Israel’s first, a silver in judo, at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Gal Fridman became Israel’s first gold medalist when he won the 2004 Athens Games windsurfing competition. Other medal winners include Arik Zeevi (bronze in judo in 2004), Shahar Zubari (bronze in men’s sailboard in 2008), Oren Smadja (silver and bronze in judo in 1992), and Michael Kalganov (bronze in kayaking in 2000).

Israel sent its largest delegation (90) to the Tokyo Games in 2020 (held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), nearly double the size of the 2016 delegation. Athletes were scheduled to compete in archery, track and field, badminton, baseball, cycling (road and mountain), equestrian, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), judo, sailing, shooting, surfing, swimming (artistic, competitive, and open water), taekwondo and triathlon. On the first day of the Games, Avishag Semberg won Israel’s 10^th medal, taking the bronze in Taekwondo. Artem Dolgopyat and Linoy Ashram then won Israel’s second and third gold medals in artistic gymnastics. In addition to Semberg’s bronze, the Israeli mixed judo team also took home a bronze medal to make 2020 Israel’s most successful Olympics.

Israel also made its debut in baseball in the 2020 Games. Four-time Major League Baseball All-Star Ian Kinsler led the team. Eight other players on the 24-man roster have played in the MLB. After being ranked 41st in the world in 2017, the team won the Africa/Europe Olympic qualifying tournament in 2020.

Israel sent six athletes to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. None won a medal, but skier Barnabas Szollos did have a surprising sixth-place finish in the men’s alpine combined, Israel’s best-ever Olympic skiing result. Szollos matched Israel’s best-ever Winter Olympics ranking, which was set in 2002 when ice dancers Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski also finished sixth.

Pole vaulter Alex Averbukh never won an Olympic medal but won bronze and silver medals at the 1999 and 2001 World Athletics Championships and the gold medal at the 2002 and 2006 European Athletic Championships.

Every four years, Israel hosts its version of the Olympics – the Maccabiah Games, which since 1932 has brought together thousands of Jewish athletes from all over the world. It is one of only seven worldwide competitions recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Participants compete in soccer, basketball, table tennis, and netball events and attend an impressive opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan. Many top Jewish athletes have made their names at the Maccabiah, including American swimmers Mark Spitz, who went on to win an unprecedented seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics, and Lenny Krayzelburg, who won four gold medals in his career.

At the 2017 Maccabiah Games, a special 4 x 50-meter relay race was held between Israeli and American all-star teams, American Olympic champions Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak (four Olympic golds), and Anthony Ervin (three Olympic golds), with masters swimmer Alex Blavatnik, defeated Israeli Olympians Guy Barnea, Yoav Bruck, Eran Groumi, and Tal Stricker.

In 2024, Anastasia Gorbenko won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley in the swimming world championships in Qatar with a time of 4:37.36 minutes, improving her Israeli record. She won two gold medals in 2021 at the Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi. In the European Championships, she won gold medals in 2021 and 2022 in the 200-meter individual medley.

The men’s squash world championship after the country refused to allow Israeli athletes to participate. The International Olympic Committee subsequently declared that countries that bar athletes from other nations will not be allowed to host international sports championships.

In a possible warmup for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Maru Teferi won a silver medal in the marathon at the World Athletics Championship. He is only the fifth Israeli to ever medal at the World Championships of track and field. 

Israel has sent a delegation of 87 athletes to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, comprising 54 men and 33 women competing in 16 sports and 66 events. The Israeli delegation achieved significant success at the Olympics, winning a record seven medals, the most in its history at a single Olympics. The medalists comprised one-eighth of the entire delegation. Windsurfer Tom Reuveny secured a gold medal in the IQFoil class, marking Israel's fourth gold medal in Olympic history. In the women's version of the same class, windsurfer Sharon Kantor won a silver medal. Artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat earned a silver medal in the floor exercise finals, scoring 14.966, just behind gold medalist Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who scored 15.000. Judoka Inbar Lanir claimed a silver medal after defeating Germany's Anna-Maria Wagner in the women's under-78kg semi-finals but losing to Italy's Alice Bellandi in the final. Another judoka, Raz Hershko, also won silver after defeating Turkey’s Kayra Ozdemir in 15 seconds in the semi-finals, but lost to Brazil’s Beatriz Souza in the final match of the women’s over-78kg weight class. In the Rhythmic Gymnastics Group All-Around category, Adar Friedmann, Diana Svertsov, Ofir Shaham, Romi Paritzky, and Shani Bakanov won a silver medal. Judoka Peter Paltchik added a bronze medal to Israel’s tally by defeating Switzerland’s Daniel Eich in the men’s under-100kg weight class. This Olympics marks the first time Israel has won seven medals in the same Games. Additionally, the men's swimming team set a new national record in the 4×200m freestyle relay with a time of 7:08.43, advancing to the finals for the first time. In soccer, the men's team competed in notable matches against Mali and Paraguay, marking the first time since 1976 that Israel has advanced past the first round in Olympic soccer.

On August 6, 2024, Algeria's Olympic committee director has alleged that Imane Khelif, a female boxer facing accusations of being a man, is the target of a “Zionist” conspiracy. Khelif, who was previously disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships due to gender eligibility concerns, has denied these accusations. The director claimed that the “Zionist lobby” is trying to “break the mind of Imane” because they “don’t want a Muslim girl or Arabic girl” to succeed in female boxing.

Security around the Israeli Olympic team in Paris has been significantly heightened due to the high threat level, described as the most massive security assignment since the 1972 Munich Olympics. Unit 730, the Shin Bet security service’s Protective Security Department, along with the Mossad, is involved in protecting the delegation and gathering intelligence on potential threats. The French authorities are preparing for various scenarios, including threats from jihadi groups and home-grown anarchists. The Israeli athletes’ living quarters in the Olympic Village are heavily secured, and athletes have been advised to avoid unnecessary risks and keep a low profile. The cooperation between Unit 730 and the French security organizers was described as very good, ensuring the safety of the Israeli delegation.

That being said, the personal data of Israeli athletes were leaked online amid warnings of Iranian threats. Furthermore, French law enforcement is investigating Nazi salutes and chants of “Heil Hitler” by fans during the Israel-Paraguay soccer match. Fans also waved Palestinian flags and displayed a “Genocide Olympics” banner. Paris 2024 organizers condemned the acts and lodged a complaint. The Paris prosecutor’s office is probing “aggravated incitement to racial hatred” and threats to Israeli Olympians. 

New Sports

English-speaking immigrants have brought several sports to the country. The Israel Baseball League played professional baseball for a year, starting on June 24, 2007. In 2017, the Israeli World Baseball Classic team began the Classic with four straight wins, including victories over powerhouses South Korea and Cuba. Although baseball is not widely played in Israel, the WBC team (composed chiefly of American Jews) hopes to raise awareness about the sport in Israel.

Other sports popular among English speakers are cricket and American football. Israel is a member of the International Cricket Association (ICA). New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has promoted playing American football by building two stadiums in Jerusalem.

An American flag football league includes dozens of teams competing for the Holy Land Bowl each season. Teams have also competed internationally. Some have been forced to forfeit games scheduled on Shabbat. Nevertheless, in 2023, Israel’s under-17 men’s flag football team won its first-ever gold medal at the 2023 International Federation of American Football’s European Junior Flag Football Championships. The men’s national team won a bronze medal at the Flag Football European Championships a month earlier.

The Israel Lacrosse Association has grown exponentially since its inception in 2010 and now boasts an 8-city league with a budget of over $4.8 million. In 2016, the Israeli team earned a silver medal at the European Lacrosse Championships, winning first place in the 2017 European Indoor Lacrosse Championships. The Israel Lacrosse Association was chosen to host the World Lacrosse Championship in 2018 after Manchester, UK, had to back out because of financial problems. The event was the largest in the championship’s fifty-year history, with 46 teams vying for the title in Netanya. Today, the Israel Lacrosse Association estimates that between 300 and 400 Israeli children and teens, mostly American-born Jews, play the sport across the country,

Indian and South African immigrants brought rugby and lawn bowling to the country.

In 2023, Israel won its first-ever group all-around gold medal at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. The year before, the team won a silver medal. Artem Dolgopyat won silver medals and then Israel’s first world championship gold medal in gymnastics in the men’s floor exercise on October 7, 2023, the same day as the Hamas massacre in southern Israel. Afterward, he said he was selling the medal with the proceeds going to benefit communities impacted by the Gaza war.

The Israel Under-20 National Team took home the gold medal at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group A tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, finishing undefeated at 5-0 in January 2024. A couple of weeks earlier, the IIHF had barred the Israeli team from competing because of safety concerns related to protests over Israel’s war against Hamas. The ban was rescinded shortly before the competition began

Cycling

Israel has one professional cycling team, the Israel Cycling Academy. The first Olympic indoor cycling arena in the Middle East, dubbed the Sylvan Adams Velodrome, was unveiled near Israel’s National Sports Center in May 2018.

The largest cycling event in the world outside of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, began in Israel in May 2018, the first time the race had ever been held outside of Europe. Participants spent three days cycling through Israel, starting in Jerusalem and ending near Eilat and the Mitzpeh Ramon Crater. Following the Israeli leg of the race, the participants went to Italy. Twenty-two teams from twenty countries participated, including teams representing Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Sports for Persons with Disabilities

Israel sent 42 athletes to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, competing in archery, athletics, basketball, cycling, equestrian, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, and tennis. The team came home with five silver medals and one bronze. Keren Leibowitz is Israel’s most celebrated Paralympic athlete, having won three gold medals in swimming competitions in Sydney in 2000, three World Championships, and five European Championships. Swimmer Inbal Pezaro, runner Moran Samuel, and shooter Doron Shaziri won Israel three bronze medals at the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Israeli wheelchair tennis team came home with a silver medal in doubles from the BNP Paribas World Team Cup, held in Alghero, Italy, in May 2017. The team had previously won the gold medal at the 2012 World Team Cup in South Korea and the bronze medal at the 2014 competition in the Netherlands.

In October 2017, an Israeli team participated for the first time in the European Para Youth Games held in Liguria, Italy. The games included over 600 Paralympic teenage athletes from 24 European countries participating in eleven sporting events such as archery, bocce, soccer, judo, and table tennis. The Israeli team took home eight medals from their first trip to the European Para Youth Games: three gold, two silver, and three bronze.

The Israel Sports Association for the Disabled (ISAD) conducts a wide range of activities in many fields, including basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, shooting, riding, archery, swimming, and sailing. The Sports Beit Halohem clubs for disabled army veterans and the Ilan organization for the disabled through injury and illness also offer numerous sporting activities.

Two Israeli Paralympic athletes brought home gold medals in swimming from the European Paralympic championship in August 2018.  Israeli athletes Inbal Pezaro and Ami Dadaon finished first in the 200m and 100m freestyle events, respectively. Pezaro, 31, has represented Israel in the Paralympic Games since 2004 and has won four Olympic silver medals and five Olympic bronze medals. The 2018 European Paralympic Championship was 17-year-old Dadaon’s first European championship competition. 

Israel sent 28 athletes to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, competing in badminton, boccia, hand cycling, para canoe, goalball, rowing, swimming, taekwondo, wheelchair tennis, and shooting. The Israeli team achieved remarkable success, bringing home 10 medals: four gold, two silver, and two bronze. Swimmer Ami Dadaon captured his third Paralympic gold in the men’s 100-meter freestyle S4, setting a new Paralympic record in the heats and finishing nearly a second and a half ahead of his competitors. He won a fourth gold in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S4, a silver in the men’s 150-meter individual medley SM4, and a bronze in the men’s 50-meter freestyle S4. In taekwondo, world number one Asaf Yasur secured a gold medal by defeating Turkey’s Ali Can Ozcan in the men’s -58 kg final. Moran Samuel also took gold in the women’s single sculls, adding to her previous bronze and silver medals from the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Israel’s goalball team, comprising Ben David, Elham Mahamid, Noa Malka, Gal Hamrani, Or Mizrahi, and Roni Ohayon, earned a silver medal—marking the country’s first Paralympic medal in a team sport since 1988. In their Paralympic debut, Shahar Milfelder and Saleh Shahin won bronze in the mixed double sculls, while Mark Malyar added another bronze in swimming. Guy Sasson, competing in wheelchair tennis, secured a bronze medal in the quad singles category.

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