The Maccabiah Games (sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Olympics”) is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israeli regardless of religion. Held every four years in Israel, the Maccabiah Games is considered the foremost sports competition for global Jewry.
With over 10,000 competing athletes, the Maccabiah Games is the third-largest sporting event in the world by number of competitors, behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. The Maccabiah Games were declared a “Regional Sports Event” by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee in 1961. Organized by the Maccabi World Union the first games were held in 1932.
Originally, the Maccabiah was held every three years. Since the 1953 Maccabiah Games, the event has generally been held every four years, in the year following the Olympic Games. The Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, as well as to all Israeli athletes regardless of ethnicity or religion.
