90 athletes will compete for Israel in Tokyo Olympic Games
About 90 athletes from 21 different types of sports will represent Israel in the Tokyo Olympic Games in the summer of 2021.
A memorial in Tel Aviv for the 11 Israeli team members killed by Palestinian Black September terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Credit: Avishai Teicher.
The Israeli teams have expectations of appearing in 10 finals and winning two to three medals, including a medal in a new branch in which Israel has yet to achieve an Olympic medal.
An Israeli baseball team will compete in the games for the first time since the appearance of the Israeli national football team in Montreal in 1976.
To date, 61 athletes have met the criteria for the Tokyo Olympics, and by the end of the last test competitions at the end of June, another 30 athletes will be added to the delegation.
According to information from the International Olympic Committee, 69% of the athletes in the world have so far achieved the criteria for the Olympic Games as of this time, similar to Israel with 67%.
The Israeli delegation consists of 36 female and 54 male athletes.
The competition branch in which Israel has the largest number of athletes is swimming with 14 to 16 athletes, followed by judo with 12 athletes, athletics with 9 participants, and gymnastics with 9 athletes.
The Israeli delegation will include athletes in new disciplines, including horseback riding and surfing.
The delegation will be headed by Gili Lustig, CEO of the Israel Olympic Committee.
Originally slated for the summer of 2020, the games were postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. International spectators will not be admitted to the games in the summer of 2021.
Despite being rescheduled for 2021, the event retains the Tokyo 2020 name for marketing and branding purposes.
This is the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed and rescheduled, rather than canceled.
