Olympic sailing coach says Lebanese snub serves as motivation
Udi Gal vows his sailors motivated by "shameful incident."
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Israeli sailing coach Udi Gal has said the “shameful incident” which saw Lebanon’s Olympic Delegation refuse to allow Israeli athletes share a bus with them to go the opening ceremony will serve as motivation for his sailors when they get their competition underway.
Expressing when news of the incident broke on Friday evening, Gal has once taken to his Facebook account, where he wrote: “In just a few days Eyal Levin and Dan Froyliche, two of the most talented sailors I have had the privilege to coach, will take to the water in the biggest competition of their career. In order to get back to the reason we have all come to Rio for, I would like to express my thoughts now. The incident that occurred before the opening ceremony was an event which left my saddened.
“Only days before the opening ceremony was held, we participated in another ceremony, the memorial ceremony by the International Olympic Committee in memory of Munich Olympic athletes murdered by terrorists. We are here as a delegation athletes, here to represent their nation through sports, not politics. The Israeli delegation includes many outstanding athletes, who are first and fore most human beings.
“This shameful incident has only motivated us. The Olympic spirit is the most important thing and we’re here to protect it and carry it with pride.”
FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF ALL THE ISRAELI AND JEWISH ATHLETES IN RIO HERE:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
