VICTORY FOR ISRAEL: Battle-scarred Israelis chase Olympic glory

The war is not dampening the spirits of the Israelis.

Instead, it makes them hungrier, more motivated to shoot for glory in the Paris Olympics.

Nadav Yaccobi, one of the most popular sports broadcasters in Tel Aviv, told DAILY TRIBUNE that the war had become an avenue for the Israelis to rally behind their athletes who are looking to come up with a record number of gold medals in the Summer Games that will open on 26 July.

The Israelis are fighting for their dear lives.

They are fighting two of the world’s most notorious militant organizations in the north and south sides of their border — Hezbollah from Lebanon and Hamas from Palestine. In fact, the Hamas terrorist group launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October that left a trail of terror with over 1,200 civilians murdered, abducted, raped and tortured.

But the threat from Hezbollah and Hamas is just the tip of the war iceberg.

The Israelis are also sitting on pins and needles as Hezbollah’s biggest supporter — Iran — is reportedly in the process of jacking up its stockpile of enriched uranium in preparation for a nuclear strike that could wipe Israel from the face of earth.

Still, the Israeli spirit remains unbreakable.

“Now that there is a war, everybody is now very involved in being Israelis. They are now part of something big. The battle in Paris is a battle for everybody living in Israel,” said Yaccobi, who is doing football commentary and analysis for Sports 5 — the biggest sports network in Israel.”

“So every athlete now has a responsibility to work hard and do his best in the Olympics. The entire Israel is cheering for them. We want them to win for their country, the state of Israel.”

In an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE in a recent visit at their headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel Olympic Committee official Muli Epstein said they will be sending a total of 88 athletes who will compete in 17 sports, including men’s football where they haven’t seen action since 1976.

Epstein, the director of the Science and Innovation committee of the Israeli Olympic council, said they are counting on athletes from gymnastics, judo, sailing and marathon to deliver so that they can surpass their previous haul of two gold and two bronze medals in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

Topping the list of athletes who are expected to deliver will be gymnast Artem Dolgapyat, who will be defending his men’s floor exercise title in artistic gymnastics against his bitter rival in Filipino Carlos Yulo.

“We expect to win four to five medals in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, judo, sailing, and marathon. We expect four to five gold medals and 15 to 18 finals,” said Epstein, adding that sending 88 qualified athletes to the Summer Games is already a major achievement for a small country with only 9.5 million population.

On the contrary, the Philippines has a population of more than 115 million but is set to send only 20 athletes from athletics, gymnastics, boxing and weightlifting.

Yaccobi said the Olympic fever can now be felt in all of Israel.

“You can feel it everywhere,” he said in an hour-long meeting that was also attended by Sports 5 chief executive officer Tomer Turgeman and sports broadcaster Daniel Macdowell.

“We saw it when we won the bronze medal in Tokyo. The entire country celebrated. Now, if we win in Paris, I’m sure the Israeli people will go crazy.”

“And it’s going to be a perfect escape from the terrors of war.”