One delegation, two systems: Hong Kong and China team off to Maccabiah Games in Israel
A total of 30 athletes in three age categories take part in the ‘Jewish Olympics’, which sees 10,000 participants from 85 countries competing across 41 sports
A total of 30 expatriate athletes from the Hong Kong, Macau and China chapter of the Maccabi World Union have headed to Israel this week to take part in the event dubbed the “Jewish Olympics”, which sees more than 10,000 participants from around 85 countries competing across 41 different sports every four years.
The event, which runs from July 4-18, ranks behind only the Olympics and University Games in terms of participation, although the Hong Kong and China delegation is amongst the smallest with the US sending around 1,200 athletes, and Canada, Australia and Argentina at around 650 competitors as well as 2,500 from Israel.
The Hong Kong and China delegation, which is largely representing Hong Kong’s Jewish community of around 5,000 for the fourth time at the Games, includes athletes in the junior, open and masters age categories competing in futsal, athletics, swimming, squash, tennis and chess.
“You have real Olympians going, to age-group athletes who are in it for fun, and our delegation this year is more age-group athletes in it for fun,”said head of delegation Steve Lyons, who is competing in the open futsal team, while his son and daughter are also in action.