Australia withdraws from 2026 Maccabiah Games
Lipp: 'It was a really disappointing decision for us to have to make, but I think it is the right decision'.
Maccabi Australia made the tough decision earlier this week not to send a team or delegation to next month’s 2026 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
After informing team members and officials, Barry Lipp – Maccabi Australia vice president, masters athlete, and Australia’s Head of Delegation to the Games – told The AJN on Tuesday “it was a really disappointing decision for us to have to make, but I think it is the right decision”.
He emphasised that the safety and security of the Australian team “is the highest priority”.
“Ultimately, given that the status of the [Australian] Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s overall advice level for Israel is still ‘do not travel’, and that is not likely to change before the Maccabiah Games, it highlights the risk involved in sending our team.
“We went through a really exhaustive process of analysis prior to making a final decision.”
Lipp added, “we really feel for all the delegation members and particularly the athletes, who had prepared and trained for these Maccabiah Games, which for many would have been the highest level of representative sport they would compete in.
“We also feel for Israel, and that our team will not be there in person to show support through participation.
“But there is kind of a silver lining for us, in that the next Maccabiah Games are only three years away instead of four, and our focus can now be on sending a team to the Maccabi Pan American Games in Uruguay in December 2027, which we believe will turn into a very big Australian team.”
Maccabi Australia general manager David Goldman agreed.
He said Maccabi Australia’s focus “continues to be to utilise sport and well-being as a vehicle bring people together.
“At the local level at Maccabi sport clubs every week in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, at Maccabi LIFE state-based events, and also at the national and international level, at the annual Maccabi Junior Carnival, the Maccabi Pan Pacific Games, and a growing number of national Maccabi social and competitive sport tournaments.”
Several other Maccabi nations, including Great Britain, Canada and South Africa, have already decided not to send junior and youth teams to the 2026 Maccabiah Games, and are in the process of making a final decision about their open and masters teams in the week ahead.
The Maccabi World Union is expecting a significantly smaller turnout of athletes from around the world, but is still confident of a successful and meaningful 2026 Maccabiah Games, with a big opening ceremony set for July 1 at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, to be headlined by Montana Tucker, Netta Barzilai, Itay Levi, Yuval Raphael, Idan Raichel, and two survivors of Hamas captivity, Daniella Gilboa and Edan Alexander.