2009 Maccabiah Games
The 2009 Maccabiah Games (), the 18th incarnation of the Maccabiah Games, were held in July 2009. According to the organizing committee these were the largest games held yet. These Games were the world's fifth-largest sporting event, behind the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Police and Fire Games, and Universiade. On the 13 July, more than 6,000 Jewish athletes from all over the world joined Team Israel's 3,000 participants at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, Israel, for the opening ceremony. History. The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932. In 1961, they  were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee. The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, as well as to all Israeli athletes regardless of ethnicity or religion. Arab Israelis have also competed in it. Notable competitors. Greco-Roman former world champion wrestler Lindsey Durlacher was the flagbearer for the US, and Olympic pole vaulter Jillian Schwartz was one of the US banner bearers. US Olympic and world champion swimmer Jason Lezak won four gold medals (in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, freestyle relay , and medley relay), while setting four Maccabiah records, and was named the most outstanding male athlete of the Games. American basketball player Dan Grunfeld led the US Open Men's Basketball team, which included Bryan Cohen, to a gold medal over Israel, as college basketball coach Bruce Pearl coached the team. American swimmer Andrea Murez won nine medals (five gold and four silver), breaking all-time Maccabiah Games records while winning gold medals in four individual events: 50m freestyle (26.44); 100m freestyle (0:56.44); 200m freestyle (2:03:45); and 200m Individual Medley (2:20.74), and earned her 5th gold  medal anchoring the USA 4 × 100m Freestyle Relay team, which set an all-time Maccabiah Games record (3:53:55). American Max Fried, who in 2017 became a major league baseball player with the Atlanta Braves, won a gold medal with the Team USA Juniors baseball team. American Brian L. Roberts won a silver medal in squash. Zach Test and Shawn Lipman played for the US Maccabiah rugby union team, winning a bronze medal. The American delegation arrived two weeks prior to the games to hold practice sessions at a cost of more than two and a half million dollars . Israeli champion Laetitia Beck won an individual gold medal and a team gold medal in golf at the Games. Israeli fencers who won gold medals were Tomer Or in men's foil, and Ayelet Ohayon in women's team foil. Israeli swimmers who won gold medals were Amit Ivry in the Women's 100m butterfly (with a time of 58.50), Keren Siebner in the freestyle and the medley, Guy Barnea in the Men's 100m backstroke (with a time of 54.22, setting a new Maccabiah Games record and Israeli record), Gal Nevo in the 400m medley, and  Alon Mandel in the 100m butterfly (setting a new Maccabiah Games record of 52.99 seconds). Israeli swimmers who won silver medals included Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or in the 100m freestyle (49.02; behind Jason Lezak, and a new Israeli record) and Vitali Pushkar in the 50m freestyle behind Jason Lezak. Israeli judokas Or Sasson, a future Olympic bronze medalist, and Golan Pollack, a future world championship bronze medalist, won gold medals at −100 kg and half lightweight (under 66 kg). Israeli judokas Yarden Gerbi, a future world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, and Gregory Rudelson won silver medals . Israeli gymnast Valeria Maksyuta won gold on the vault, and silver medals in the all-around and on the uneven bars. Israeli runner Maor Tiyouri was the silver medalist in the 1500m and a bronze medalist in the 800m. Israelis Timor Avitan, Tzahi Elihen, Muayan Halaili, Osher Zeitun, and Hana Nasser won a bronze medal in football. Bensiyon Songavkar played for Team India and won a silver medal in cricket. Hungarian gymnast Orsolya Nagy won a bronze medal; also a fencer, she won a bronze medal in the individual sabre event at the 2009 World Fencing Championships. Brazilian  judoka and future world championship silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist Felipe Kitadai won a bronze medal, beating Lindsey Durlacher along the way. Chess grandmaster Judit Polgár from Hungary, the number 1 rated woman in the world, was named the Maccabiah's most outstanding female athlete of the Games. Russian chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, later ranked fourth in the world, won a gold medal. Participating communities. <nowiki>*</nowiki>Reference. Sports. The following are the 31 sports which were contested at these Games.