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July 20, 2012
Blue-and-white athlete sendoff
Ceremonies fête the Olympic and Paralympic teams as they prepare to travel to London.
ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN ISRAEL21C
Culminating two days of ceremonies, photo ops and pep talks, Israel’s Olympic and Paralympic teams gathered for one last gala sendoff at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on July 9.
The athletes wore “dress” uniforms issued days ago: the Olympic delegation in bright blue jackets and white shirts and pants, and the Paralymic team in dark blue slacks and jackets with white-and-blue pinstripe shirts.
Posing for photographers on the veranda with President Shimon Peres and Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, the athletes and their trainers, coaches and companions spontaneously began singing “Gesher Tzar Me’od,” a traditional Hebrew song from the words of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, “All the world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to be afraid.”
These may be world-class athletes whose Saturdays are spent in rigorous physical training rather than in synagogues, but at emotionally laden moments such as these, their pride in representing the Jewish state comes to the fore.
And they certainly don’t seem to be afraid. The 38 Olympians and 25 Paralympians appeared calm, confident and cheerful as they exited after speeches at the President’s Residence.
“I’ve been ready to go for a week already,” gymnast Felix Aronovich told this reporter. Aronovich, 24, excels in floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault and parallel bars. He doesn’t think it’s realistic to expect a medal – most Israeli hopes are pinned on gymnast Alex Shatilov – but the Penn State graduate hopes to outperform his current personal best. “Anything more will be a bonus,” he said with a smile.
Excitement is building
Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or, who will compete in the men’s 100-metre freestyle swimming event, said he’s hoping simply “to go there and represent Israel in the best way and do my best.” That was a common sentiment among the Olympians interviewed at the ceremony.
“All of us want to win a medal, but not all of us will succeed,” said Judoka Iosef “Soso” Palelashvili, who is among 21 first-timers on the Israel Olympic team. He admitted to being “just a little excited – naturally excited.” When asked his personal goal for the Games, he replied, “My aim is not to give up, and to see it through to the end.”
Laser radial sailor Nufar Edelman said that athletes from England, France and Australia dominate in her event. The more likely medalist from the Israeli sailing team is Shahar Zubari, winner of the bronze in RS:X sailing at the 2008 Beijing Games.
“I just want to do my best,” said Edelman. This will be her second Olympics, and she said she’s been practising solo out on the water about six hours a day.
Edelman and synchronized swimmer Anastasia Gloushkov – who competes with Inna Yoffe – were hanging out together as they waited for their team bus outside the President’s Residence.
“The next thing I’d like to do after synchronized swimming is her sport,” Gloushkov joked, poking a playful finger toward her friend. “It sounds cool to be alone out on the sea.”
Gloushkov admitted that she’s pumped for London and has been practising “endless” hours a day. “It’s really exciting that this is my third [Olympics],” she said. Though she’d previously said that this Games would likely be her last, now she’s reconsidering. “I never say ‘never.’”
Memorials and flags
The delegates range in age from 18 to mid-40s, a mix of native Israelis and immigrants from a variety of countries. Two of the most recent arrivals are Americans Donald Sanford, a sprinter, and pole-vaulter Jillian Schwartz, who was in the U.S. delegation to Athens in 2004.
The Games don’t begin until July 27 (and the Paralympics on Aug. 29), but a few of the athletes and staffers are leaving shortly, so this was their last time together on Israeli soil until after the Games. They had received their new playing uniforms just prior to the ceremonies at the President’s Residence, and had just met their assigned roommates for London.
Before traveling to Jerusalem for the presidential sendoff, the athletes participated in a memorial service at the Tel Aviv Olympic headquarters for the 11 Israeli Olympic athletes and coaches murdered 40 years ago at the Munich Games. As of yet, the International Olympic Committee has not acceded to growing international pressure for a minute of silence at London in their memory.
The topic was very much on everyone’s minds, as reflected in Livnat’s speech at the President’s Residence. She declared that if the request is not honored, every time Israel’s national anthem is played for medalists it will also serve as a symbol of remembrance for the murdered athletes.
At another emotional moment during the sendoff, Israel Olympic Committee secretary-general Efraim Zinger handed an Israeli flag to the sailor Zubari and another to Paralympic marksman Doron Shaziri, who won a silver medal in 2008. These men have been chosen for the honor of carrying the flags to lead their delegations into the Olympic stadium.
Israel21C is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.
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