Eliezer Kalina ( he, אליעזר קלינה, 25 March 1948 – 29 April 2007) was an Israeli

paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

champion. Kalina began practicing sports at the age of 10. He was a member of

Hapoel Petah Tikva Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. ( he, הפועל פתח תקווה) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Petah Tikva, currently playing in the Liga Leumit. Its most successful period was throughout the 1950s and 1960s, in which the club won ...

youth football team and, simultaneously, a member of the club's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team. In 1966 he transferred to

Hapoel Herzliya Hapoel Herzliya ( he, הפועל הרצליה) is an Israeli football club based in Herzliya. The club is currently in Liga Alef North division and play their home matches at the Herzliya Municipal Stadium. History The Hapoel sport club in Herzl ...

, in which he played until he was injured during the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

. Prior to the war he graduated from Wingate College of Physical Education and began studying in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Kalina returned to Israel to join the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

during the war. On 18 October 1973, he was in a

half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cro ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n territory. The task they were sent for was aborted and Kalina and his team remained within Syrian borders until they could retreat. The half-track was spotted and attacked. Two of Kalina's team members were killed and his own leg was amputated. During his rehabilitation he studied law, but focused his interest in sports. Throughout the years Kalina was a member of the IDF veterans volleyball team. In 1974, he established a volleyball team in the rehabilitation center he practiced in, and began serving as its coach. As both player and coach he shared three gold medals and one silver medal at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

. In 1992 they reached sixth place. Kalina was active in sports until the early 2000s (decade). He also completed MBA studies and an MA in political science, while working for

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

and the Prime Minister's Office.

References

External links

*
Eliezer Kalina
at

World ParaVolley World ParaVolley, formerly the World Organization Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD), is an international organization that is for people with physical disabilities. It is affiliated with the International Paralympic Committee(IPC). The World Organizat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalina, Eliezer 1948 births 2007 deaths Israeli men's volleyball players Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. players Hapoel Herzliya F.C. players Liga Leumit players Israeli volleyball coaches Jewish volleyball players Paralympic athletes for Israel Paralympic volleyball players for Israel Paralympic gold medalists for Israel Paralympic silver medalists for Israel Paralympic medalists in volleyball Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 1988 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics Track and field athletes with disabilities Israeli sitting volleyball players Men's sitting volleyball players Men's association football players not categorized by position Israeli men's footballers