The Israeli delegation to the Special Olympics World Games to be held in Los Angeles from July 25 - August 2, 2015 will number 40 athletes, who will compete in the following sports: aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, kayaking and tennis. The Special Olympics are designed for people with a range of intellectual disabilities, with limitations in cognitive functioning and other skills.

The Israeli delegation to the Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles won a total of 62 medals: 25 gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze.


PM Netanyahu with the Israeli delegation to the Special Olympics
Copyright: GPO/Kobi Gideon

Prime Minister Netanyahu: "I want to congratulate you from the depths of my heart. We are proud of you; everyone in Israel is proud of you. Sixty-two medals is an amazing achievement. You are all deserving of great appreciation, first of all because you are champions. You competed and won. Even those who did not win, to reach the games and compete, this says that you have something special, something heartfelt that gives you strength, also with the help of your trainers and coaches whom I congratulate as well. But we know that it starts with you and you drew strength from your very souls. I very much appreciate this and I would like to tell you that you have brought great pride and honor to the State of Israel and to yourselves. Secondly, you must know that there is also national pride because you represent something special. You represent the human spirit, which can overcome any obstacle if you want to; it starts with wanting to."


Israel joined the Special Olympics worldwide competitions in 1987. Mati Oren, now 32, who will be one of the athletes taking part in the Los Angeles Games, has over the years won the most medals for Israel in competition.

From Kibbutz Ginegar near Nazareth, Mati was born with medical problems that left him with developmental and cognitive disabilities. He attended a special school in Haifa, which encouraged his parents to take him to a Special Olympics swim meet in Tel Aviv under the auspices of AKIM, the Israeli association for the habilitation of the intellectually disabled. Mati was asked to join the Special Olympics national team and began training at the Wingate Institute.

In 2000, at his first European Special Olympics regional competition held in the Netherlands, Mati  won three gold and one silver medal. In 2003 he claimed four gold medals at the Dublin Summer Games, achieving a Special Olympics world record in the 100-meter individual medley. He continued to win medals at the Summer Games in Shanghai (2007) and Athens (2011). Mati today focuses his efforts on open-water swimming and is a certified lifeguard.




An Israeli delegation from the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled competed in the Seoul 2015 IBSA World Games, sponsored by the International Blind Sports Federation in Seoul, South Korea, from May 8-18, 2015. The 30 members of the delegation, including athletes, coaches and escorts, will compete in the fields of athletics, bowling, chess, swimming and women's goalball.

President Reuven Rivlin hosted the delegation at his residence and wished them success: "Your achievements as athletes and people who face almost impossible challenges fills me with great joy. I have no doubt you will continue to bring home more medals and honor for all of us."


Copyright: GPO/Mark Neiman