1961 Maccabiah Games

The 6th Maccabiah Games were held in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1961.[1]

6th Maccabiah
Host cityTel Aviv, Israel
Nations participating27
Debuting countries Colombia
 Congo-Léopoldville
 Guatemala
 Uruguay
Athletes participating1,000
Main venueRamat Gan Stadium

History

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.[2] In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee.[3][4][5]

Notable medalists
Israeli runner Yoseph Lahav lighting the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony.

In swimming, Marilyn Ramenofsky of the US, who three years later was to win a silver medal at the Olympics in the 400-Meter Freestyle, won a gold medal in the 400-Meter Freestyle Relay and a bronze in the 400-Meter Freestyle.[6] She led the US swimming team, which won all but two events.[6]

In fencing, Olympic bronze medal winner Yves Dreyfus of France won the gold medal in épée. Fencer Al Axelrod won a gold medal in foil.[6]

Larry Brown led the United States basketball team to a gold medal.[6] Allen Rosenberg and Donald Spero of the US won gold medals in rowing.[6]

Gary Gubner of the US won the shot put with a 60-foot, 1-1/4 inch (18.32 meter) throw.[7]

American Dick Savitt won both the singles and doubles (with Mike Franks) men's tennis gold medals.[8] American gymnast Ron Barak won eight gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal.[9]

Angelica Rozeanu of Israel, who in her career won 17 world titles, was the women's table tennis singles champion.

Participating communities

First-time participants in 1961 included Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Congo-Kinshasa.[10]

U.S. participation

135 athletes from the United States participated in the 6th Maccabiah, as well as 9 coaches, 6 managers, 3 doctors, and 2 trainers. The team was sponsored by the United States Committee Sports for Israel, Inc.[1]

Medals by Sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Swimming179531
Track and Field16111340
Gymnastics81110
Wrestling76821
Weightlifting5106
Shooting4228
Fencing3429
Rowing3003
Tennis2103
Basketball1001
Golf1001
Volleyball0101
Water polo0011
Totals (13 sports)673632135
Source: [1]

References
  1. A Record of U.S. Participation in the 6th Maccabiah Games. United States Committee Sports for Israel, Inc. 1961. p. 150. OCLC 851574788.
  2. A brief history of the Maccabiah Games
  3. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj (2012). Gender Politics and the Olympic Industry. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137291158.
  4. Mitchell G. Bard and Moshe Schwartz (2005). 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know about Israel p. 84.
  5. "History of the Maccabiah Games". Maccabi Australia.
  6. "History: The 1960s". Maccabiusa.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  10. "Maccabiah: History". maccabiah.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
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