Opening of the Maccabiah Games at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, July 14, 2022. Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO

The 2025 Maccabiah Games scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv next month will be postponed until 2026 because of the Israel-Iran war, it was announced this week.

Often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” the international multi-sport event for Jewish athletes is held every four years in Israel. It was set to officially begin on July 8. This week, the official website for the sporting event featured a message on its homepage that said due to Israel’s war against Iran, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, the Maccabiah Games will instead take place in July 2026. “Same values. Same vision. Just a little more time,” read the message.

A total of 8,000 athletes from 55 countries were scheduled to compete in the Maccabiah Games this year in 45 sports, including tennis, rhythmic gymnastics, futsal, volleyball, judo, karate, swimming, ice hockey, and wheelchair fencing. The event is organized by the Maccabi World Union.

Flights to Israel remain grounded and Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency that will remain in effect until at least June 30 amid the war with Iran that started a week ago.

“Together with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and after considering several alternatives, we realized that even though we were almost at the starting line, the wisest decision in terms of security, safety, and logistics is to postpone the event by one year to a quieter and safer time,” he continued. “I am confident we will hold a truly meaningful Maccabiah in the summer of 2026.”

“Following our operation in Iran and after multiple security assessments, we have concluded that postponing the Maccabiah to next year is unavoidable,” Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar said in a statement obtained by The Algemeiner. “I thank all the organizers of the Maccabiah for their dedication and cooperation, as well as Jewish organizations worldwide and the sports federations. I am confident that we will reunite here next year with a stronger and braver Israel than ever before.”

Following the cancellation, USA Fencing announced that it will accept late entries to the national tournament scheduled to start in Milwaukee in July, and will waive late penalties for athletes who were scheduled to compete in the Maccabiah Games.

First held in 1932, the Maccabiah Games took a 15-year break between 1935 and 1950 because of tensions surrounding World War II and the establishment of the State of Israel. The 2021 Maccabiah Games were also postponed until the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.