2001 Maccabiah Games

2001 Maccabiah Games

For the 2001 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.

It is considered a 'smaller games' for three reasons: attendance was significantly lower, particularly from the Australians (it 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.

The 16th Maccabiah attracted more than 5,000 athletes from 46 countries.

The 2001 games opened with a sellout crowd of more than 25,000 spectators. 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.

The Games saw the addition of juniors futsal and girls’ soccer, as well as the return of women’s basketball.

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."

U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist and former world record holder, Lenny Krayzelburg, earned gold and set a new Maccabiah record in the 100-meter backstroke. He also won a gold medal in the 4 X 100M medley relay. Krayzelburg passed up going to the world championships in Japan to participate in the Maccabiah, and was selected to carry in the flag for the United States at the opening ceremonies.

Russian Olympic fencing gold medalists Sergey Sharikov and Maria Mazina, coached by former Soviet Olympic fencing gold medalist Mark Rakita, won Maccabiah gold medals in men's sabre and women's foil. 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 Scharikov. Jonathan Tiomkin of the US, who later was a Pan American Games gold medalist, won silver medals in team foil and team épée.

France Robert Bensimon leader of tennis French Delegation has add many medals again in Senior Category. Simon Amram had obtained medals in his category. We can underline the success of South African players in Junior Tennis Tournament. One player makes the uninamity: the Israeli tennis player Mike Geraldes. We have to take into account the fantastic record of brown medal gained in tennis double by the French pair "Jeremie's" Pair composed by the Magician Jeremy Benkemoun and the solid experienced player Jeremie Cohen from Toulouse in an epic match finished on the night against the first United States composed by Leslie/Sawyer.