Israeli athletes head to Paris: A beacon of hope amid adversity - opinion

In the coming days, the Olympic Games will begin in Paris. Israel will be sending its largest delegation ever, with 92 athletes representing the Jewish state. The Olympics will be followed by the Paralympic Games, with dozens of Israeli athletes participating.

Like everything here in Israel since October 7, our participation in this year’s Olympics and Paralympics has presented unique meaning as well as significant challenges. While all our focus in the Knesset rightly remains on our hostages, soldiers, and the families of the victims of that terrible day, along with the tens of thousands displaced from both the North and the South, we’ve also stepped up to tackle head-on the challenges related to the Paris Games due to their ramifications for Israel on the world stage.

On the diplomatic front, we’ve had to push back against cynical, hate-driven attempts to exclude Israel from these games. On the security front, we’ve had to prepare more than ever to ensure the safety of our athletes in Paris. We’ve done all this and more by making sure there’s proper coordination and collaboration among all the relevant bodies. As chairman of the Knesset Subcommittee for Sports, I’ve personally worked closely with government officials, the Olympic Committee, and the various sports federations (gymnastics, swimming, etc.) and engaged directly with our athletes at the Knesset.

In these challenging times, my hope is that these Olympics can do what sport so often does: provide a small light in the immense darkness we find ourselves in today—not only by giving us a chance to rally around our athletes as a united country at a time when unity is more important than ever, but also by demonstrating the potential that the stories of so many of our athletes have to truly inspire. We saw an example of this just recently.

In my close work with Israel’s amputee football team, I got to know wounded IDF veterans and a survivor of the Nova massacre who represented Israel in the European championship and learned about the important role the team has played in their recoveries and their lives. These athletes are among my personal heroes, and all Israelis should know their stories.

These stories will be heard by more than just Israelis. In a world where there is so much negative, conflict-driven coverage of Israel, the Olympics and Paralympics present us with an opportunity to show the true face of our country on the world stage – to showcase the resilience, perseverance, and diversity of Israel and its people, as well as our humanity, which too many around the world seem to have forgotten. This is not a matter of politics. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s a matter of sport and what it represents, which transcends politics.

Hope for Paris Games

Back home, it may serve as a reminder of that ideal: our humanity, which transcends political interests, could potentially be the greatest contribution these Olympics can make to Israeli society, both now and in the future. It seems that everything in Israel has become politicized – even, disgracefully, the plight of our hostages and their families. One hopes these Olympics can serve as a small reminder to us all that things don’t have to be that way, and that, when we choose to put political interests aside and unite as a people, whether in the face of great triumphs or deep tragedy, we can achieve powerful things together.

The writer is a member of Knesset from Yesh Atid and chairman of the Knesset’s Subcommittee for Sports.