1981 Maccabiah Games
Encyclopedia
The 1981 11th Maccabiah Games
brought 3,450 athletes to Israel
from 30 nations.
The 30-sports menu included rugby union
, sailing
and softball
for the first time.
New facilities for squash, wrestling, karate, and judo were introduced.
Mitch Gaylord
, gymnastics, won 5 gold medals; he later went on to win Olympic
gold.
Also, tennis players Brad Gilbert
and Andrea Leand
earned gold medals,http://www.maccabiusa.com/history.htm and Shlomo Glickstein
won the men's singles in tennis, the first Israeli to win a Maccabiah tennis championship.
Mark Berger
, who three years later was to go on to win a silver medal in the Olympics, won a gold medal in judo.
In track and field, James Espir
of Great Britain
, who earlier that year had run a mile in 3 minutes 56.7 seconds, thereby becoming the fastest Jewish miler ever, won the 1500 metres and 5000 metres gold medals on successive days.
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
brought 3,450 athletes to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from 30 nations.
The 30-sports menu included rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
for the first time.
New facilities for squash, wrestling, karate, and judo were introduced.
Mitch Gaylord
Mitch Gaylord
Mitchell Jay Gaylord , is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.Gaylord was born in Van Nuys, California, son of Fred and Linda Gaylord. While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 and 1984 U.S...
, gymnastics, won 5 gold medals; he later went on to win Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold.
Also, tennis players Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
and Andrea Leand
Andrea Leand
Andrea Leand is a former professional tennis player.- Career :She played on the WTA tour from 1981 to 1994. She won a singles title at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1984 and reached the 4th round of the U.S. Open on three occasions and of the French Open in 1982. She retired with an 87-106 singles...
earned gold medals,http://www.maccabiusa.com/history.htm and Shlomo Glickstein
Shlomo Glickstein
Shlomo Glickstein is an Israeli former professional tennis player.He reached his career-high singles ranking of World # 22 in November 1982, and his career-high doubles ranking of World # 28 in February 1986....
won the men's singles in tennis, the first Israeli to win a Maccabiah tennis championship.
Mark Berger
Mark Berger (judoka)
Sensei Mark Berger is a Canadian judoka.He immigrated to Canada from Ukraine and East Germany.-Judo career:...
, who three years later was to go on to win a silver medal in the Olympics, won a gold medal in judo.
In track and field, James Espir
James Espir
James Espir , is an English middle distance runner, whose career spanned the late 1970s and early 1980s. Espir competed for Shaftesbury Harriers Athletics Club and for Great Britain.Espir was born into an athletic family...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, who earlier that year had run a mile in 3 minutes 56.7 seconds, thereby becoming the fastest Jewish miler ever, won the 1500 metres and 5000 metres gold medals on successive days.