Sport
Now do us proud!
Joel Nathan says no stone has been left unturned in pursuit of glory as Team Maccabi GB prepares for its latest adventure at the European Maccabi Games in Budapest.
July 25, 2019 15:01
Joel Nathan says no stone has been left unturned in pursuit of glory as Team Maccabi GB prepares for its latest adventure at the European Maccabi Games in Budapest.
July 25, 2019 15:01The 215-person delegation arrives in Hungary on Sunday on the medal trail as 12 squads, competing in the Junior, Open and Masters’ categories, battle it out for glory across eight sports.
General team manager Nathan said: “We have all come on a long journey to get to Budapest and I’m sure the respective MGB squads will do themselves and their families proud from the day we leave London until the day we return.”
MGB will compete in football, futsal, swimming, table tennis, tennis, golf, squash and fencing and Nathan said he has “high hopes” for the junior futsal and tennis squads.
He said: “The squad is ready and has been well-briefed. They know what to expect. We have discovered some very good talent in our junior tennis squad and I also expect our Open football team to do well.”
The EMG will also feature guest delegations from USA, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Australia.
Nathan went on to express some frustrations with EMG organisers. “There has been a lack of communication with some of our requests and we would’ve loved to have taken girls’ football but a lack of entry from other teams prevented us.
“Our squad is not as big as we wanted as there are lots of individual sports missing but finding the people to compete is not easy.”
Discussing the logistics of the EMG, Nathan said: “We’ll be staying in several hotels. Nothing is too far and most journeys are a maximum of 25 minutes from the squad bases.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our athletes representing the Jewish community of GB. The squad is fantastically prepared and we’ll be defending lots of medals.”
Sport is not the only focus in Budapest and Nathan went on to say: “We’ve got to respect our Jewish heritage which will be main focus during pre-camp. There will be a non-sports day during the Games for the juniors who will go on heritage tours.
“We’ve put in a lot of effort and planning into this as everyone has an understanding of what Jewish people have been through. It will be a major part of the experience for everyone.
“We are all looking forward to the Games. I watched the final training sessions of several squads last weekend and everyone is champing at the bit. They just want to get out there. The athletes are in vibrant mood and I’m sure they’ll be in good voice at the Opening Ceremony, spurred on by Danny Schweiger and his famous drum.
“The heat will be a big factor. We’ve trained for temperatures in the mid-30s and have been focusing on nutrition and hydration. It will be more humid than Israel as the outdoor sports will take place in city centre.”
Look out for EMG updates at thejc.com/sport from Monday.