Hopeful message in Israel: “We are going to be in Paris 100%”, enthused the president of the Olympic Committee

“Today we demonstrated that the abhorrent murder failed to eradicate Israeli sport and we are going to continue.” Invoking the massacre of 11 compatriot athletes at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September at the Munich Games 20 years ago, the statement was pronounced on July 30, 1992 by judoka Yael Arad, who minutes before had won the first Olympic medal in the history of Israel.

More than three decades after the feat in Barcelona, Arad is the president of the Israeli Olympic Committee — the first woman to hold office — and her courage to show integrity in the face of grim scenarios seems to remain unchanged. Two and a half months after the deadly invasion of Hamas of her land, she expressed the conviction that the Israeli delegation will compete in Paris 2024 “100%, like any other nation”.

In the same interview provided to the L’Equipe website, the leader expressed her request to athletes to place the flag of Israel “at the top”, a mission of high demand considering the freshest background. Of course, the two gold medals and the pair of bronzes from Tokyo 2020 were the most important harvest in 17 Olympic appearances.

In a less optimistic tone, Arad, a member of the International Olympic Committee, warned of the difficulties faced by her country’s athletes, who, according to her vision, “have a hard time conceiving the practice in these circumstances” since they are mobilized by the urgency of helping neighbors in need. As for the safety of the contingent that will represent Israel in France, the official said that she “will do everything possible to guarantee it”.

Dozens of Israeli athletes and coaches from various disciplines have lost their lives since the beginning of the war. The tragic list includes soccer, volleyball, water polo and lacrosse players, as well as athletes, triathletes, judokas, swimmers and gymnasts. The Olympic Committee honored the deaths of its representatives and, in turn, has played an important role in social containment.

The initiatives, supported and accompanied by the national government, range from the “Stronger... Together” campaign, consisting of the dissemination of footage of training sessions for Olympic athletes to children from the Gaza Strip and students who were unable to return to school, to organizing sports activities in the kibbutz and receiving evacuated families in the headquarters museum.

One of the biggest challenges that comes close to Arad is related to the presence of swimmers at the Doha World Championships in February, an Olympic qualifier. Despite the fact that Qatar acts as a mediator nation in the war, the boss reported that they are evaluating the best decision with the Qatari government and the IOC. Thomas Bach said that the Israel and Palestine Committees “have been peacefully coexisting for decades.”