16th Maccabiah
Host cityJerusalem, Israel
Nations49
Debuting countries Azerbaijan
 China
 Moldova
 Chinese Taipei
Athletes3,300
Events38
OpeningJuly 16, 2001
ClosingJuly 23, 2001
Opened byKeren Leibovitch
Main venueTeddy Stadium

The 16th Maccabiah Games (Hebrew: המכביה ה16 ישראל תשס"א), the Opening Ceremony was held in Jerusalem at Teddy Stadium, while the re-building process of the collapsed bridge and investigations into the collapse continued. The 16th Maccabiah attracted more than 5,000 athletes from 46 countries.

It is considered a 'smaller games' for three reasons: attendance was significantly lower, particularly from the Australians (who sent only about 170 athletes, compared with around 400 in 1997); it was run at the height of the Second Intifada (and straight after the infamous Dolphinarium bombing—the largest of the Intifada—that killed 21 Israelis, mostly high school students); and not all wounds had been healed after the collapse of the bridge.

History

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.[1] In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee.[2][3][4] Among other Olympic and world champions, swimmer Mark Spitz won 10 Maccabiah gold medals before earning his first of nine Olympic gold medals.[5]

Opening ceremony

Over 25,000 people were at the stadium for the opening ceremony. Keren Leibovitch, an Israeli paralympic swimmer who had won three gold medals at the 2000 Paralympics, was given the honor of lighting the torch at the Games at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.[6]

Junior futsal and girls' soccer were new sports.

At the opening of the Games on July 16, 2001, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared:

"Approximately 2,100 years ago, the Maccabees lit the torch in Modi'in and carried it to the gates of Jerusalem, in the Jewish people's struggle for freedom in its homeland. The same fire of freedom and faith, which was not extinguished during 2,000 years, is, today, passed on to you.... You represent the spirit of the Maccabees who fought for Jerusalem and for Jewish rights and independence 2,167 years ago."[7]

Notable competitors

Gold medalist Lenny Krayzelburg of the United States set a new record in the 100-meter backstroke. He also won a gold medal in the 4 X 100M medley relay.[8] Krayzekburg was chosen by the US team to carry their flag at the opening ceremony.[9] Noah Pink competed in swimming for Canada.[10]

Russian Olympic champion fencers Sergey Sharikov and Maria Mazina won gold medals in men's sabre and women's foil.[8] Vadim Gutzeit of Ukraine, who nine years earlier won an Olympic gold medal in team sabre, won a silver medal in sabre, as he lost to Sharikov. Jonathan Tiomkin of the US, who later was a Pan American Games gold medalist, won silver medals in team foil and team épée. Lydia Hatuel-Czuckermann won the bronze medal for Israel in the women's individual foil competition.[11]

Doug Gottlieb won a gold medal in basketball with Team USA, and was named basketball MVP.[12][13] Israeli pole vaulter Alex Averbuch won a gold medal.[14][15] Russian grandmaster Evgeny Alekseev won a gold medal in chess.[16]

Nicolás Valansi competed in soccer for Argentina, which won a gold medal, as he was named tournament MVP.[17] Joe Jacobson represented Great Britain in soccer, at the age of 14.[18] Jonathan Kestenbaum, Baron Kestenbaum of Foxcote competed for Great Britain in soccer in the masters.[19]

Chilean tennis player Nicolás Massú competed, but did not earn a medal.[20] Canadian volleyball player and future Olympian Josh Binstock competed for Canada.[10]

Participating communities

The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that community contributed.

Medal count

  *   Host nation (Israel)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Israel (ISR)*223192159574
2 United States (USA)345461149
3 Russia (RUS)22151855
4 South Africa (RSA)581427
5 Argentina (ARG)55313
6 France (FRA)53816
7 Ukraine (UKR)46111
8 Brazil (BRA)41813
9 Great Britain (GBR)33612
10 Hungary (HUN)2226
11 Australia (AUS)2046
12 Turkey (TUR)2013
13 Canada (CAN)1111123
14 Mexico (MEX)141722
15 Belarus (BLR)1001
 Kazakhstan (KAZ)1001
17 Venezuela (VEN)0314
18 Georgia (GEO)0202
19 Germany (GER)0167
20 Austria (AUT)0101
 Azerbaijan (AZE)0101
22 Croatia (CRO)0022
23 Chile (CHI)0011
 Chinese Taipei (TPE)0011
 Sweden (SWE)0011
Totals (25 entries)315312325952

References

  1. ↑ "The 20th Maccabiah Games: A brief History (Part 1)," The Canadian Jewish News.
  2. ↑ Helen Jefferson Lenskyj (2012). Gender Politics and the Olympic Industry. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137291158.
  3. ↑ Mitchell G. Bard and Moshe Schwartz (2005). 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know about Israel p. 84.
  4. ↑ "History of the Maccabiah Games". Maccabi Australia. Archived from the original on 2016-10-20.
  5. ↑ "At Maccabiah Games, 300 Jewish American athletes become bar and bat mitzvah". The Forward. July 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Maccabiah Games history and information". Jewishsports.net. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ Eric H. Cline (September 2004). "The Use and Abuse of Ancient Conflicts in the Modern Battle for Jerusalem". Bible Interp.
  8. 1 2 "The Maccabiah Games history and information". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Schiff, Brian (August 2, 2001). "Phoenix of the Games". Jewish Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  10. 1 2 "2001 Team Canada Delegation"
  11. ↑ "Hatoel-Zuckerman, Lydia". Jews in Sports. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  12. ↑ LEVINE, LES. "Basketball has been in the air for Gottlieb family". Cleveland Jewish News.
  13. ↑ "2001 US Maccabiah Basketball Team". August 2001. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  14. ↑ "Averbukh wins Maccabiah Games". PoleVaultPower.
  15. ↑ "Alex Averbukh". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  16. ↑ "JUDAISM AND CHESS". The Chesspedia. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  17. ↑ "16th Maccabiah Games: Football" (PDF). Maccabi World Union. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  18. ↑ "Who said there are no Jewish pro footballers?" – via PressReader.
  19. ↑ "Lord Kestenbaum named as GB president for EMG"
  20. ↑ "Nicolas Massu's GS Performance Timeline & Stats". www.db4tennis.com.
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