20th Maccabiah

The 2017 Maccabiah Games ( he, משחקי המכביה 2017), also referred to as the 20th Maccabiah Games ( he, המכביה ה-20), were the 20th edition of the Maccabiah Games. They took place from 4 to 17 July 2017, in Israel. The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all Israeli citizens regardless of their religion. A total of 10,000 athletes competed, a Maccabiah Games record, making the 2017 Maccabiah Games the third-largest sporting competition in the world (after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup)."Levine inducted into Jewish sports hall as Maccabiah athletes feted at JC,"
''Ottawa Sun''. The athletes were from 85 countries, also a record. Countries represented for the first time included the Bahamas, Barbados, Cambodia, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Malta, Morocco, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Trinidad (according to the official Games website Morocco debuted in 2013, and it does not list The Bahamas, Cambodia, Haiti, Malta, the Philippines, or Trinidad among participating nations). The athletes competed in 45 sports.

History

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932. In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee.Mitchell G. Bard and Moshe Schwartz (2005)
''1001 Facts Everyone Should Know about Israel''
p. 84. Among other Olympic and world champions, swimmer Mark Spitz won 10 Maccabiah gold medals before earning his first of nine Olympic gold medals.

Opening ceremonies

On 6 July 2017, the opening ceremonies took place at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, with 10,000 competitors in front of 30,000 spectators."Maccabiah Games: Your guide to celebrating the 'Jewish Olympics' in Israel; Maccabiah Games activities: A star-studded opening ceremony, a night run and parties, parties and more parties,"
''Haaretz''. Seven athletes took part in the torch lighting ceremony, including Olympic gold-medal-winner swimmers American Anthony Ervin and Frenchman Fabien Gilot."Ervin, Gilot To Participate In Torch Lighting At Maccabiah Games,"
''SwimSwam Magazine''. Five Israelis participated in the torch lighting ceremony: Olympic medalists in judo Ori Sasson and Yarden Gerbi, three-time Olympic gymnast Neta Rivkin, National Basketball Association player Omri Casspi, and Paralympic world champion rower Moran Samuel."Watch: Maccabiah 2017 opens with a high-energy ceremony - and a surprise wedding,"
''The Times of Israel.''

The delegation march took place before Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and others. British Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the crowd by means of pre-recorded videos.

Canadian ice hockey player Avi Steinberg proposed to his girlfriend Rachel on stage, and then married her under a '' chuppah'' on stage minutes later. Singers who performed included Lior Narkis, Ester Rada, Omer Adam, Victoria Hanna, and Marina Maximillian."Maccabiah marriage: A surprise proposal turned surprise wedding,"
''The Jerusalem Post''.

Notable competitors

American three-time Olympic champion swimmer Anthony Ervin won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle (with a time of 22.05 seconds), the 100-meter freestyle (with a time of 49.76 seconds), and the 4 × 100 m medley relay (with the Americans clocking 3:41.82)."Ervin wraps up Maccabiah experience with two more gold medals,"
''The Jerusalem Post''."Ervin captures gold in 100-meter freestyle,"
''The Jerusalem Post''. American B. J. Johnson won gold medals in the men's 100m breaststroke, with a time of 1:01.27 (a new Maccabiah record), as well as in the 200m breaststroke, with a time of 2:11.60."Ervin Opens Maccabiah Games With 100 Free Gold,"
''SwimSwam Magazine''. In the special 4x50m relay race between Israeli and American all-star teams, American Olympic champions Lenny Krayzelburg (four Olympic golds), Jason Lezak (four Olympic golds), and Ervin, with masters swimmer Alex Blavatnik, swam a time of 1:48.23 and defeated Israeli Olympians Guy Barnea, Yoav Bruck, Eran Groumi, and Tal Stricker, who had a time of 1:51.25. American Jessica Antiles won the silver medal in the 400m individual medley and a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley.

In soccer, Sam Raben and Jake Rozhansky were part of Team USA's gold medal winning team. Josh Kennet won a silver medal with Great Britain in soccer. Ilan Boccara played for France, which came in 7th, Alon Abelski played for Germany, and David Cuperman played for Colombia. Israeli soccer player Shani David scored a goal in the final for Israel as it beat Team USA to win a gold medal in women's soccer. Australian Melissa Maizels competed in soccer.

Team USA won a gold medal in basketball with among others Jordan Cohen, Sam Singer, and Travis Warech, as they were coached by Doug Gottlieb.

In fencing, American Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz, former junior world champion and ranked #1 in the world the following year, won individual and team gold medal in sabre.

Canadian Olympian Josh Binstock and his partner won the gold medal in men's beach volleyball. Cricketer Zac Elkin

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