Sports

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis participate in sports all over the world ranging from swimming, soccer, basketball and tennis, to gymnastics, judo, volleyball and handball. Israel is home to some of the top professionals in every sport, and participates in most major international competitions as well as the European championships. Israel's most talented individuals and teams frequently win medals, trophies and international awards.

In 2004 Israel took home its first Olympic gold medal when windsurfer Gal Fridman won the competition in Athens. "It's a dream come true, it's unbelievable that I've become the first Israeli to win a gold medal. I felt like the whole country was watching me and pushing me from behind," he said. And while it took the country 56 years to win a gold medal in the Olympics, we bring home medals year after year in competitions for disabled athletes.