The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing a series of events during the Rio Olympics in support of the Israeli Olympic and Paralympic delegations. The MFA will offer services to Israeli citizens, hold meetings with the local Jewish community in commemoration of the 11 athletes murdered at the Munich Olympics and present Israeli culture and technological innovation to the crowds of international spectators at both Games.
"Israel, as any country, is happy to participate in the Rio Olympics with Olympic and Paralympic delegations. However, beyond the eventual winning of medals by our athletes, we want to show the Brazilian public a bit of our culture. We also want to support our athletes' success in Rio", says Yossi Aviram, in charge of the activities of the MFA at the Rio Olympics.
Prior to the start of the Olympic Games, the MFA opened a temporary consulate in Rio de Janeiro to provide emergency services to Israeli citizens visiting the city, should these be required. The consulate will operate from August 1 to September 22, after the close of the Paralympic Games.
In an event organized by the International Olympic Committee and destined to become a tradition of future Olympic Games, the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone of a monument in remembrance of the Olympic dead since the advent of the modern day Olympic Games in 1896 will take place in the Olympic Village.
Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev, who is representing Israel at the Games, will also represent Israel at the ceremony. The widows of two of the 11 athletes murdered in the terrorist attack during the 1972 Munich Olympics on September 5, 1972 will also attend. Ilana Romano, widow of weightlifter Yossef Romano, and Ankie Spitzer, widow of Fencing coach Andre Spitzer, will light 11 candles in memory of the Israeli victims.
On August 14 there will be another ceremony of the IOC in collaboration with the Rio 2016 Committee, this time specifically to commemorate the 11 Israeli athletes murdered in Munich. It will take place in City Palace in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of IOC President Thomas Bach, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, the Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, and the Brazilian Minister of Culture, Marcelo Calero. Relatives of victims of the attack will also be present.
This will be the first time that the IOC will be officially honoring the murdered athletes in a ceremony, marking a change in the organization’s previous position of refusing to hold a moment of silence at the opening ceremony of London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Despite this, IOC President Thomas Bach announced that there will be a moment of silence in the closing ceremony of Rio 2016, "to allow everyone in the stadium, as well as those watching at home, to remember loved ones who have died."
On Friday August 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Israeli Olympic Committee and Jewish leaders will hold a "Kabbalat Shabbat" ceremony, marking the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, with the participation of Israeli athletes.
The MFA will present two Israeli performers to the spectators at the Games. The two singers, Noga Erez and Ester Rada, will perform before the international audience at various venues during the Games.
Noga Erez, known for her eclectic style and electronic music, will be the first to perform. The event, accompanied by video clips about Israel that will be displayed on local screens, will take place on August 10 at the Port of Rio. During the event, souvenirs of Israel will be distributed to the audience.
Ester Rada, famous for her multicultural music that is popular in Israel and around the world, will debut on August 19, also at the Port of Rio. She will also perform at Madureira the following day.
"We chose two artists with different styles," Yossi Aviram explains. "Ester Rada, of Ethiopian descent, performs international music with touches of Africa and the Middle East. Her performance demonstrates the multiculturalism that is part of Israel and Brazil, while Noga Erez is an electronic music artist with several European awards."
More than 71,000 competitors from 46 countries submitted projects. After eight regional semifinals around the world, the finalists will compete for the best Innovation in Sport project.
In addition, during the Paralympic Games that will take place from September 7 to September 19, the MFA will host events dedicated to accessibility in collaboration with Israeli NGO Access Israel (Negishut, in Hebrew).