Israel Active

Unsporting behavior by the Irish women’s basketball team was rewarded with being convincingly beaten 87 – 57 by the Israeli team.  The Irish team had requested to boycott the match but were told that they would be hit with a massive fine and being barred from future EuroBasket qualifiers.

Nice article about Guy Sasson (see previously) who was runner-up in both the singles and doubles wheelchair tennis finals at the Australian Open.

Canadian-Israeli philanthropist Sylvan Adams has promised to build a sports infrastructure in the Gaza border area. He announced that a bicycle track will be built in memory of the fallen, as a donation on behalf of the cycling group he owns, Israel-Premier Tech Cycling Team.

Huge floral display on the streets of Jerusalem last week. The blue & white colors of the Israeli flag were also flying.

AZbigmedia - the fastest-growing news website in the US – focused on Tel Aviv as a tourist destination. The comprehensive article describes Tel Aviv as a vibrant and cosmopolitan city celebrated for its stunning beaches, bustling markets, and lively nightlife.

This year’s Darom Adom (Red South) festival, where Israelis visit the fields of red winter-blooming anemones that carpet the forests and fields, will be more muted that usual. But many events are to go ahead, such as the Anemone March, and the numerous opportunities to support local businesses.

Israeli windsurfer Sharon Kantor on Saturday won a gold medal at the iQFoil World Championships in Lanzarote and qualified for the Paris summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Israelis Guy Borstein and Tommy Buaron won gold medals at the Jujitsu Genoa Open.

Israeli skier Viktor Polinkovsky won the FIS Masters World Cup event (age category 60-64) in Slovenia. Israelis Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov won gold at the WAKO European kickboxing Athens Challenge. 12-year-old Karolina Chorny won the Kick Light European Championship.

Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz said the Dead Sea marathon “is a symbol of the willpower and the tremendous love of life of the State of Israel and its citizens. The Dead Sea is a wonderful natural phenomenon in the lowest place in the world. From here, you can only go up.”

Israeli driver Ariel Levi won Round 2 of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe Sport Division. See last few laps. Also (at 3mins 30secs) the Israeli National Anthem Hatikvah.