Friends unite in memory of Dan Elkayam
Bondi terror victim Dan Elkayam, who was a talented football player, will be honoured with a tournament in his name.
Football was always Dan Elkayam’s language and on Saturday people from all walks of life will be coming together to play in his honour at Dan’s Legacy Cup.
The 27-year-old French national was the second youngest victim of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack on December 14.
“This event exists to honour a sincere, deep and beautiful passion – the passion of someone who truly loved the game”, Krystal Troyano, Elkayam’s wife, told The AJN.
“Football was everything to Dan. I remember asking him more than once, ‘What do you love most in life, me or football?’ Before he could even answer, I’d laugh and say, ‘Okay, don’t answer!’ We both already knew. Everyone knew what he loved most. We would laugh about it later.
“Dan is deeply missed, and in the same measure, his life has been deeply celebrated by me and by all of us. That has become my purpose in life.”
Elkayam (third from right) was a talented soccer player.
Elkayam was a football-mad IT engineer who lived in Sydney but was originally from the Paris suburb of Le Bourget. One of his proudest footballing moments was playing for France at the 2019 European Maccabi Games. Last season he impressed at local football club Rockdale Ilinden.
Elkayam’s friend Julien Fournier, who is also from France and met Elkayam in Australia through football, said the idea for a football tournament emerged almost immediately after the tragedy.
“Literally a few days after Dan passed away this idea came up from myself, Krystal and other friends of Dan here in Australia. We thought straight away that it would be a great way to pay tribute to Dan,” Fournier said.
“Dan was a very talented player and football meant everything to him. Dan was very comfortable talking about football, playing football – that was the centre of his life.”
Fournier said the tournament will be an emotional occasion bringing together everyone who played with Elkayam during his time in Australia.
“All the people Dan played with over the last few years we will be at the tournament,” he said.
“We will be looking to the event as a part of our mourning process, that’s what we’ve been holding onto since Dan passed away. Dan is still very present in our minds.”
The tournament represents Elkayam’s ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds through football – a fitting tribute to a young man whose life was tragically cut short by hatred.
“We are bringing people together from different nationalities, backgrounds, religions and from different communities all together and I think it’s very representative of Dan. We are very proud of Dan.”
Dan’s Legacy Cup will take place on February 21 at Barracluff Park, Bondi, 12-6pm. All are welcome.
For more information and to donate visit: gofund.me/84a223f6a
Elkayam with Krystal.
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