Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

competed at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

with its largest contingent to date − a delegation of 90 athletes, 55 men and 35 women, who competed in 15 different sports. This was almost double the previous number of 47 athletes who represented Israel at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The Games were also Israel's most successful to date, winning four medals, including two gold. At Tokyo, Israel marked its Olympic debuts in surfing (new to the 2020 Games), baseball (returning to the Games), archery, equestrian and marathon swimming. Israel returned home from Tokyo with two gold and two bronze medals, a record number of medals won by Israel in one Olympics. Artistic gymnast

Artem Dolgopyat Artem Olegovich Dolgopyat ( he, ארטיום אולגוביץ' דולגופיאט; ukr, Артем Олегович Долгопят; born 16 June 1997) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli artistic gymnast. He is the 2020 Olympic champion on floor e ...

won the gold medal in the men's floor exercise and rhythmic gymnast

Linoy Ashram Linoy Ashram ( he, לינוי אשרם; born ) is a retired Israeli individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic All-around Champion, the 2018 World All-around silver medalist, two-time (2017, 2019) World All-around bronze medalist, the ...

won the gold medal at the women's rhythmic individual all-around event. Taekwondo practitioner

Avishag Semberg Avishag Semberg (or Abishag Samberg, he, אבישג סמברג; born 16 September 2001) is an Israeli taekwondo athlete. She was an Olympic bronze medalist for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's 49 kg competition. She won Isr ...

won the bronze medal in the Women's 49 kg category and the national judo team won another bronze medal in the mixed team event. Several Israeli athletes advanced to the finals of their respective sporting events, but narrowly missed out on standing on the winner's podium. Originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

until 23 July to 8 August 2021. Since Israel's debut in 1952, Israeli athletes have appeared in every edition of the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, other than the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

in Moscow, which it opted not to attend because of the nation's support for the US-led boycott. This was Israel's 17th appearance at the Summer Olympics. Backstroke swimmer

Yakov Toumarkin Yakov Yan Toumarkin ( he, יעקב יאן טומרקין, russian: Ян Я́ков Тума́ркин; born 15 February 1992) is a Russian-born Israeli Olympic backstroke swimmer. In 2010, he was the European Junior Swimming Champion in the 100 ...

and triple jumper Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko were chosen as the nation's flag bearers at the opening ceremony and

was chosen as the nation's flag bearer at the closing ceremony. Also, for the first time since 11 Israeli athletes and a West German police officer were murdered during the Munich Olympics in 1972 by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, a

moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...

was held during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Medalists

Competitors

The Israeli delegation includes 90 athletes, competing in 15 sports. This was

Alexander Shatilov Alexander "Alex" Shatilov ( he, אלכסנדר "אלכס" שטילוב, russian: Александр Шатилов; born March 22, 1987) is a USSR-born Israeli artistic gymnast. He specializes in the floor exercise, in which he won several medals ...

's fourth appearance at the Olympics, and

Sergey Richter Sergey Rikhter ( he, סרגיי ריכטר; russian: Серге́й Рихтер; born 23 April 1989) is a USSR-born Israeli Olympic sport shooter. He shares the junior world record in the 10 metre air rifle, and was the 2009 ISSF World Cup cha ...

's,

's, and

Misha Zilberman Misha Zilberman ( he, מישה זילברמן, russian: Миша Зильберман; born 30 January 1989) is an Israeli badminton player. He competed for Israel at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics. He also won a bronze medal at the 20 ...

's third appearance. Nine members of the delegation participated in the games for the second time:

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter ( he, לונה צ'מטאי-סלפטר, , born 12 December 1988) is a Kenyan-Israeli runner. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. At the European Athletics Championsh ...

Gili Cohen Gili Cohen ( he, גילי כהן; born June 19, 1991) is an Israeli retired Olympic judoka. In 2013, she won the silver medal at the European U23 Championships, and she was a bronze medalist at the 2014 European Judo Championships. She comp ...

Shlomi Haimy Shlomi Haimy ( he, שלומי חיימי; born 19 June 1989) is an Israeli road and cross-country cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI Continental team . Career In 2007, Haimy came in 7th in the World Men Juniors Cross Country Championships ...

Sagi Muki Sagi Aharon Muki (or Moki; he, שגיא אהרון מוקי; born 17 May 1992) is an Israeli half-middleweight judoka. Muki is the 2019 World Champion. He also won the 2015 and 2018 European championships. In August 2011 Muki won the Europ ...

Andrea Murez Andrea "Andi" Murez ( he, אנדראה "אנדי" מורז; born January 29, 1992), is an Israeli-American Olympic swimmer. She swam for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She will represent Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She represented ...

Shira Rishony Shira Rishony ( he, שירה ראשוני, born February 21, 1991) is an Israeli Olympic lightweight judoka. She competed at U48 kg (under 106 pounds). She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Early an ...

Or Sasson Or "Ori" Sasson ( he, אור "אורי" ששון; born 18 August 1990) is a retired Israeli Olympic judoka. He won a bronze medal in the +100 kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics and another one at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the se ...

Marhu Teferi Marhu Teferi (or Teferi Marhu, he, מארו טפרי; born August 17, 1992) is an Ethiopian-born Israeli marathon and half marathon runner, silver medallist in marathon at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich. He represented Israel ...

, and

Maor Tiyouri Maor Tiyouri ( he, מאור טיורי; born 13 August 1990) is an Israeli Olympic long-distance runner, former national record holder of Israel in the 5000 metres, and a three-time Israeli national champion – in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m i ...

. This was Alberto Michán's third appearance at the Olympics, but was the first time he represented Israel. Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko also appeared for the third time at the Olympics, but only for the second time as part of the Israeli delegation. Seven athletes from the delegation have previously participated in the

Youth Olympic Games The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consiste ...

, Gal Cohen Groumi,

, Anastasia Gorbenko,

Denis Loktev Denis Loktev ( he, דניס לוקטב; born 4 June 2000) is an Israeli swimmer. He competes in 100 m freestyle, 100 m medley, 200 m freestyle, 400 m freestyle, 4x100 m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle mixed, 4x200 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle, and ...

, and

Schedule

This schedule shows all the events in which Israeli athletes have participated or may participate. :''All times and dates use

Japan Standard Time , or , is the standard time zone in Japan, 9 hours ahead of UTC ( UTC+09:00). Japan does not observe daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated on several occasions. During World War II, the time zone was often referred to a ...

(

UTC+9 UTC+09:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +09:00. During the Japanese occupations of British Borneo, Burma, Hong Kong, Dutch East Indies, Malaya, Philippines, Singapore, and French Indochina, it was used as a common time wit ...

)''

Archery

Itay_Shanny_at_the_meeting_of_the_Olympic_delegation_to_the_Tokyo_2020_Summer_Olympics_Games_with_the_President_of_Israel

One Israeli archer qualified directly for the men's individual recurve at the Games, by reaching the quarterfinals and obtaining one of the seven available spots at the 2021 Final Qualification Tournament in Paris, France. This marked Israel's debut in Olympic archery.

Artistic swimming

Israel fielded a squad of two artistic swimmers to compete in the women's duet event, by finishing sixth at the 2021 FINA Olympic Qualification Tournament in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain.

Athletics

Selamawit_Teferi_at_the_meeting_of_the_Olympic_delegation_to_the_Tokyo_2020_Summer_Olympics_Games_with_the_President_of_Israel

Israel_track_and_field_championship_2015_Hanna_Knyazyeva-Minenko_07

Nine Israeli athletes met the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event): ;Track & road events ;Men ;Women ;Field events

Badminton

Israel entered two badminton players (one per gender) into the Olympic tournament.

and

Ksenia Polikarpova Ksenia Olegovna Polikarpova (russian: Ксения Олеговна Поликарпова, he, קסניה פוליקרפובה; born 11 March 1990) is Russian-Israeli Olympic badminton player. In 2009, she won a bronze medal at the European ...

were selected to compete at the Games each in the men's and women's singles based on the BWF World Race to Tokyo Rankings.

Baseball

The current Israel national baseball team that competes at the

is composed mostly of

American Jews American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora J ...

with only four Israeli-born players. The

Israel national baseball team The Israel national baseball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בבייסבול) represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Israeli-American former Major League Baseball World Series champion, World Baseball Classic champion, ...

qualified for the Olympics by winning the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the 2019 WSBC Africa and Europe Qualification Tournament in Italy and securing an outright berth, marking the country's Olympic debut in baseball. ;Team roster Ian Kinsler on May 13, 2016

;Group play ;Round 1 ;Round 2 ;Round 1 repechage

Cycling

Road

Israeli road cyclist

Omer Shapira Omer Shapira ( he, עומר שפירא; born 9 September 1994) is an Israeli racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . She is an eight-time national road champion; winning the Israeli National Time Trial Championships in 2020 and 2022 ...

ranked 60th in the Individual

UCI World Ranking The UCI men's road racing world rankings are a point system which is used to rank men's road cycling riders. Points are accrued over a rolling 52 weeks in three categories (Individual, Nations and Teams). Also Year-End rankings exist, based on ...

for women with 316.17 points and won a quota for Israel. Shapira also finished 13th at the Women individual time trial event at the

2019 UCI Road World Championships The 2019 UCI Road World Championships was the 92nd edition of the UCI Road World Championships, the annual world championships for road bicycle racing. It took place between 22 and 29 September 2019 in the historic county of Yorkshire, United K ...

, but after decreasing to one athlete per country, Shapira placed eighth. The first 10 places automatically qualified their country to the women's individual time trial event. The

Israel Cycling Federation The Israel Cycling Federation or ICF (in Hebrew: איגוד האופניים בישראל) is the national governing body of cycle racing in Israel. The ICF is a member of the UCI and the UEC. References External links Israel Cycling Federatio ...

decided that Shapira would be the Israeli road cyclist representative for the games.

Mountain biking

Israel qualified one men mountain biker based on the 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships when

finished in 30th place. Israel was the second-highest ranked country which had not yet qualified any quota places through the UCI Olympic Mountain Biking rankings. The

decided that Haimy would be the Israeli mountain biker representative for the games.

Equestrian

Israel fielded a squad of three equestrian riders in the Olympic team jumping competition. In July 2019, Team Israel's Daniel Bluman, Ashlee Bond, Danielle G. Waldman, and Elad Yaniv won the Olympic Jumping Qualifier at Maxima Park in Moscow, qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, the first time that Israel has earned a place in the Olympics in equestrian. However, due to a technicality regarding the registration of his horse Gemma W, Bluman was deemed ineligible to compete just weeks prior to the start of the competition. The Israel Equestrian Federation decided that Ashlee Bond, Alberto Michán, Danielle G. Waldman, and Teddy Vlock would represent Israel at the games, with the identity of the three riders who would participate in each day's event to be determined the day before.

Jumping

Danielle G. Waldman and Queensland E have been named the traveling alternates.

Gymnastics

Artistic

Israel entered two

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

s into the Olympic competition. Three-time Olympian

booked a spot in the men's individual all-around and apparatus events, by finishing seventh out of the 12 gymnasts eligible for qualification at the 2019 World Championships in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, while

secured one of the three places available for individual-based gymnasts, neither part of the team nor qualified through the all-around, in the

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

at the same tournament. Lihie Raz received a spare berth from the women's apparatus event, as one of the female gymnasts from the individual all-around, not yet qualified, at the 2019 World Championships. Raz qualified for the floor final at the 2020 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships and thus met the Israeli criteria set by the Israeli Gymnastics Federation and ensured her participation in the Olympic Games. ;Men Internationaux_de_France_2018_-_DOLGOPYAT_Artem

Internationaux_de_France_2018_-_DOLGOPYAT_Artem

;Women

Rhythmic

and

Nicol Zelikman Nicol Zelikman ( he, ניקול זליקמן; born January 30, 2001) is a former Israeli individual rhythmic gymnast. She is a two-time medalist at the 2016 European Junior Championships. Early life Zelikman was born and raised in Kfar Saba, Is ...

secured two quotas for the Israeli delegation by finishing third and eleventh, respectively, at the 2019 World Championships all-around individual event. Also, Israel qualified a squad of

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and co ...

s for the group all-around by virtue of finishing within the top-five among National Olympic Committees that are not yet qualified at the 2019 World Championships.

Judo

Israel qualified a squad of 12 judoka (six men and six women) for each of the following weight classes at the Games by the IJF World Ranking List of 28 June 2021. ;Men ;Women ;Mixed Israel National Olympic Judo Mixed Team in 2021

Israel National Olympic Judo Mixed Team in 2021

The Tokyo games hosted the first Judo Mixed team event. Nations qualifying at least one athlete in the −57 (−48, −52 & -57), −70 (−57, −63 & -70) & +70 (−70, −78 & +78) weight categories for women, and at least one athlete in the −73 (−60, −66 & -73), −90 (−73, −81 & -90) & +90 (−90, −100 & +100) weight categories for men, would compete in the team event. The Israeli team has qualified to the event, and won a bronze medal.

Sailing

Yoav_Cohen,_June_2021_(GPODBG_3895)_(cropped)

Israeli sailors qualified three boats in each of the following classes. Gil Cohen and Noa Lasry secured a quota for the Israeli delegation by finishing eleventh in the women's 470 event at the

2018 Sailing World Championships The 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championships were held in Aarhus, Denmark, from 30 July to 12 August 2018. It was the fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships. It was the world championships for all disciplines used at the next olympics ...

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Ofek Elimelech and Mia Morris finished twelfth and fourteenth in their respective RS:X class. Both of these results promised two more quotas for the Israeli delegation. Shay Kakon secured another quota for the Israeli delegation through the Europe

Laser Radial The Laser Radial or ILCA 6 is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy, originally built by Laser Performance. It is a singlehanded boat, meaning that it is sailed by one person. The Laser Radial is a variant of the Laser standard, ...

qualification event in

Vilamoura Vilamoura is a coastal resort in the Loulé municipality in Algarve, Portugal. It is one of the three corners of Algarve's Golden Triangle. Vilamoura comprises one of the largest single tourist complexes in Europe and with about 2,000 hectares ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Katy Spychakov Katy Spychakov ( he, קטי ספיצ'קוב; born 6 August 1999) is an Israeli windsurfer. Spychakov won the 2015 Female Under 17 Techno 293 World Championships, the 2016 RS:X Class Youth Female World Championships, and the 2019 U21 Women's RS: ...

secured her place on the Israeli squad, after she topped the overall ranking of Israel's selection meets.

Yoav Cohen Yoav Cohen ( he, יואב כהן; born 30 August 1999) is an Israeli windsurfer. In 2020 he won the RS:X European Championships, and In 2021 he represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics and finished 4th in Men's RS:X. Biography His paren ...

finished in fifth place at the 2021 RS:X World Championships and tied with

Shahar Tzuberi Shahar Tzuberi (or Zubari, he, שחר צוברי; born September 1, 1986) is an Israeli windsurfer and Olympic bronze medalist, surfing in the "Neil Pryde" RS:X discipline. He is a nephew of Gad Tsobari, the 1972 Olympic wrestler who escaped fr ...

in israel’s selection ranking. Gur Steinberg, the team's coach, decided that Cohen would be the representative for the Games instead of Zubari, who had been chosen before the postponement of the Olympics. Shahar Tibi and Noya Bar Am were chosen to represent Israel in the 470 event, while Kakon was selected in the women's Laser Radial.

Shooting

Israeli shooter

achieved quota places for the delegation in the men's 10 metre air rifle, by winning the gold medal at the 2019 European Games. This was his third appearance at the Olympics.

Surfing

Israel sent one surfer to compete in the women's

shortboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he' ...

at the Games. Anat Lelior secured a qualification slot for the nation as the highest-ranked surfer from Europe and one of the top 30 surfers in the overall open division at the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games in Miyazaki,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Swimming

Qualification for Israeli swimmers in the individual swimming events in Tokyo is accomplished by achieving the qualifying standards in the events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)): All Israeli swimmers must attain the

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

Olympic A-cut at one of the selection meets approved by the Israeli Swimming Association (ISA), or one percent faster at any other competition. Israel can also enter a team for relay events with a top-12 finish at the 2019 FINA World Championships, provided that at least two swimmers in each relay event are qualified for any of the individual events. Matan Roditi became the first Israeli swimmer to compete in the open water marathon at the Games after finishing fourth in the 10 km at the 2021 FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier in Setubal,

. ;Men ;Women ;Mixed

Taekwondo

Israel entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition at the Games.

secured a spot in the women's flyweight category (49 kg) with a top-two finish at the 2021 European Qualification Tournament in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. The 19-year-old won the bronze medal.

Triathlon

Israel entered two triathletes to compete at the Games. Brothers Ran and Shachar Sagiv were selected among the top 26 triathletes competing in the men's event based on the ITU World Rankings. The Olympic Committee of Israel confirmed the participation of the two.

Weightlifting

Israel entered one weightlifter into the Olympic competition. David Litvinov received the slot left open by Brazilian

Fernando Reis Fernando Saraiva Reis (born March 10, 1990) is a Brazilian weightlifter. He competed at both the 2012 Summer Olympics

References

{{Olympic medalists for Israel

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Nations at the 2020 Summer Olympics