Maccabi Games postponed for a year

The leadership of Maccabi World Union (MWU) and Maccabiah 2025, together with the Israeli minister of culture and sports and ministry staff, announced the postponement of the Maccabiah for a year due to the logistical and security complications created by Operation Rising Lion. Accordingly, the Maccabiah, scheduled to open on 8 July 2025, will now be held in the summer of 2026.

The Israeli government announced on Sunday, 15 June, the extension of the national emergency throughout the country until 30 June 2025. This decision affected the ability of MWU and its members to prepare safely and effectively for the 22nd Maccabiah, which was scheduled for this July.

Ros Goldin, Maccabi South Africa’s executive director, agreed that it was “absolutely the right decision”.

“The safety of our delegation has always been our priority, and it was clearly no longer feasible for the games to go ahead at this time. We look forward to competing in our 21st Games in 2026 in a peaceful and prosperous Israel in what will surely be a memorable celebration of sport and the Jewish people,” Goldin said.

South Africa was just one of the 55 countries taking part, with more than 8 000 athletes scheduled to attend Maccabiah 2025 from 8 to 22 July. Many planned to be in Israel as early as the end of this month to acclimatise before competing in their 45 different sports.

Said Sports and Culture Minister Miki Zohar, “Following our operation in Iran, and after numerous assessments of the situation, we have concluded that it’s inevitable to postpone the Maccabiah until next year. I thank all the Maccabiah organisers for their willingness and joint efforts, Jewish organisations around the world, and sports unions. I’m confident that we will gather here next year with a stronger and braver Israel than ever before.”

Maccabiah Chairperson Assaf Goren said, “Despite our strong desire to hold the Maccabiah in the summer of 2025 as a symbol of hope, we were forced to postpone it due to the complex security situation created by the attack on Iran; following instructions of the Home Front Command; the continued suspension of flights to Israel; and the necessary security measures required of all of us. Together with the ministry of culture and sports, and after considering several alternatives, we realised that although we’re almost at the starting line, the most prudent step from a security, safety, and logistical perspective would be to postpone the event by a year to a quieter and safer time.”

Said Goldin, “We will now begin the complex logistical task that this postponement entails, including refunding our team members. We await instructions from MWU regarding age groupings and other pertinent information, which in turn will inform the process we follow for the selection of Team SA for 2026.

“Unfortunately, some of our junior athletes may ‘age out’, which means they move from junior to open categories, while others will be in matric next year and may understandably choose not to attend,” she said.

“Organising a Maccabiah is an enormous undertaking, and we’re grateful to MWU for its support, leadership, and ongoing efforts to try host these games in the most difficult of circumstances.”

Goldin thanked the volunteer team of management, coaches, and medical staff, whom she said worked tirelessly to get Team SA ready. “Our thanks also to the parents of juniors teams, to the sponsors and donors who have stuck with us, and to the schools who have generously allowed us to use their sports facilities. Organising a team for the games takes a village, and our South African ‘village’ has certainly risen to the occasion.

“Most importantly, thanks to all our athletes who have been training so hard in preparation for the games,” said Goldin. “We feel their disappointment, and encourage them to stay the course as we look forward to announcing our talented and proudly South African team for Maccabiah 2026”.

Goren also thanked all those involved in Maccabiah 2025, saying, “I’m confident we will be able to hold a truly significant Maccabiah in the summer of 2026.”