Maccabiah Postponement: Now Scheduled for 2026
The Maccabi Games, also known as the Maccabiah, is the world’s largest Jewish athletes competition. This international Jewish multi-sport event is also the second largest sporting event in terms of the number of athletes competing. The event, also referred to as the Israeli Olympics, began in 1932 with 14 countries participating and has now grown to over 80 countries, with more nations preparing to feature their athletes in this prestigious competition.
This year, the much anticipated 22nd edition of the Israeli games was expected to commence from July 8th to 22nd with an opening ceremony scheduled to hold in Jerusalem. However, its organizers just announced, after an emergency meeting held yesterday in Israel, the 16th of June, about the postponement of the games. The tournament is said to be shifted to July 2026, which is a year further from the original timetable.
The reason for the postponement is related to the ongoing escalation of hostility between the Israeli nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The new wave of intensified conflict, which began a few days ago, has blown into a full-scale war, with the capitals of both countries targeted in a series of missile attacks and retaliatory strikes by both sides. With such developments, with a high degree of unpredictability and volatility, the guarantee of athletes, fans, and visitors attending the events to cheer up the games is not certain—hence the necessity of the postponement.
But this seems to be the first time that the games will be rescheduled due to national insecurity concerns. The most recent postponement occurred in 2021 due to the pandemic, which eventually forced the world to avoid large gatherings as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, they moved the 21st edition of the Maccabi Games to 2022.
However, in the buildup to the games, a Nigerian youth team that hoped to make history in Jewish football will now have to wait to see how other plans its management has been considering will play out in the coming months. One of which is the talks about the formation of an African Confederation, coined as MAC. The proposed Maccabi African Confederation (MAC) is aiming to bring together Jewish athletes from across the African continent for the first time in a sporting event.
Nonetheless, in the wake of the unfolding postponement, the Maccabi FCN remains focused on its mission, which will see the players engaging in more club activities. In their recent friendly match against Xriso Sporting FC, which they lost by 2 nil, the club’s coach, Shlomo Yaakov, stressed that the team played their best and is looking to bounce back in their next fixture. He emphasized that the players must intensify their training and gain more experience by participating in local football competitions.
Becoming a formidable team requires a lot from both the players and management, who are, as always, fully determined to ensure the success of the club both nationally and internationally. To achieve greater success in a shorter time frame, the club plans to seek partnerships that will provide the players with improved training facilities and accommodations, allowing them more opportunities for practice and play.
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