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Do not fill this in! ===Sports=== {{Main|Sport in Israel}} [[File:ΧΧ¨ΧΧ§ Χ’ΧΧΧ.jpg|thumb|[[Maccabi Haifa F.C.]] fans at [[Sammy Ofer Stadium]] in the city of Haifa]] The most popular spectator sports in Israel are [[association football]] and [[basketball]].{{sfn|Torstrick|2004|p=141}} The [[Israeli Premier League]] is the country's premier football league, and the [[Israeli Basketball Premier League]] is the premier basketball league.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basket.co.il/Data.asp?id=1&lang=en |publisher=Winner Basketball Super League |title=Basketball Super League Profile |access-date=13 August 2007 }}</ref> [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]], [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]], [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] and [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] are the largest [[List of football clubs in Israel|football clubs]]. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv have competed in the [[UEFA Champions League]] and Hapoel Tel Aviv reached the [[UEFA Cup]] quarter-finals. Israel hosted and won the [[1964 AFC Asian Cup]]; in 1970 the [[Israel national football team]] qualified for the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]], the only time it participated in the World Cup. The [[1974 Asian Games]], held in Tehran, were the last Asian Games in which Israel [[Israel at the Asian Games|participated]], plagued by the Arab countries that [[Boycotts of Israel in sports|refused]] to compete with Israel. Israel was excluded from the [[1978 Asian Games]] and since then has not competed in Asian sport events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jta.org/1976/07/26/archive/israel-barred-from-asian-games |title=Israel Barred from Asian Games |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=26 July 1976 |access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref> In 1994, [[UEFA]] agreed to admit Israel, and its football teams now compete in Europe. [[Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.]] has won the [[FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague records and statistics|European championship]] in basketball six times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euroleague.net/final-four/milan-2014/maccabi-electra-tel-aviv |title=Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv β Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625083458/http://www.euroleague.net/final-four/milan-2014/maccabi-electra-tel-aviv |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Israel has won [[Israel at the Olympics|nine Olympic medals]] since its first win [[1992 Summer Olympics|in 1992]], including a gold medal in [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics β Men's Mistral One Design|windsurfing]] at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/israel |publisher=International Olympic Committee |title=Israel |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> Israel has won [[Israel at the Paralympics|over 100]] gold medals in the [[Paralympic Games]] and is ranked 20th in the [[All-time Paralympic Games medal table|all-time medal count]]. The [[1968 Summer Paralympics]] were hosted by Israel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paralympic.org/paralympic-games/tel-aviv-1968 |title=Tel Aviv 1968 |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320024849/http://www.paralympic.org/paralympic-games/tel-aviv-1968 |archive-date=20 March 2012 }}</ref> The [[Maccabiah Games]], an Olympic-style event for [[List of Jews in sports|Jewish]] and Israeli athletes, was inaugurated in the 1930s, and has been held every four years since then. [[Krav Maga]], a martial art developed by Jewish ghetto defenders during the struggle against [[fascism]] in Europe, is used by the Israeli security forces and police. Its effectiveness and practical approach to self-defense, have won it widespread admiration and adherence around the world.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988284,00.html|url-access=subscription|title=Choke! Gouge! Smash!|last=Ellis|first=Judy|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=4 May 1998|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> [[File:BorisGelfandSicilianDefence.jpg|thumb|[[Boris Gelfand]], chess [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]]]] [[Chess]] is a leading sport in Israel. There are many Israeli grandmasters and [[List of Israeli chess players|Israeli chess players]] have won a number of youth world championships.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/pawn-stars-shine-in-new-national-sport-1.317002 | title=Pawn stars shine in new 'national sport' | newspaper=Haaretz | access-date=21 May 2012| date=4 October 2010 }}</ref> Israel stages an annual international [[Israeli Chess Championship|championship]] and hosted the [[World Team Chess Championship]] in 2005. The Ministry of Education and the [[FIDE|World Chess Federation]] agreed upon a project of teaching chess within Israeli schools, and it has been introduced into the curriculum of some schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cis.fide.com/en/reports/186-chess-in-schools-in-israel-progress-report |title=Chess in Schools in Israel: Progress report |date=28 May 2012 |publisher=FIDE |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-date=8 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108193104/http://cis.fide.com/en/reports/186-chess-in-schools-in-israel-progress-report }}</ref> The city of [[Beersheba]] has become a national chess center, with the game being taught in the city's kindergartens. Owing partly to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of [[Grandmaster (chess)|chess grandmasters]] of any city in the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chess masters set to blitz Rishon Letzion |first=Eitan |last=Bekerman |newspaper=Haaretz |date=4 September 2006 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/chess-masters-set-to-blitz-rishon-letzion-1.196475}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel|title=World Team Championship in Beer Sheva, Israel |publisher=World Chess Federation |access-date=13 March 2009 |date=1 November 2005 }}</ref> The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the [[38th Chess Olympiad|2008 Chess Olympiad]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel takes silver medal in Chess Olympiad |first=Uri |last=Tzahor |newspaper=Ynetnews |date=26 November 2008 |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html}}</ref> and the bronze, coming in third among 148 teams, at the [[39th Chess Olympiad|2010 Olympiad]]. Israeli grandmaster [[Boris Gelfand]] won the [[Chess World Cup 2009]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Israeli grand master Boris Gelfand wins Chess World Cup |first=Eli |last=Shvidler |newspaper=Haaretz |date=15 December 2009 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-grand-master-boris-gelfand-wins-chess-world-cup-1.2120}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page