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The Athens Olympic Games will open on 13th August 2004 in the Olympic Stadium in Athens. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 and the tradition continued from then on (apart from during the First and Second World Wars). The Israel 2004 Olympic Team consists of 36 top athletes. Their task will be to retain Israel's place in the prestigious "club" of countries who's athletes have won medals, and try and win the first gold medal for Israel.
Four athletes enabled Israel's entry into this "club": Yael Arad (Judo, Silver Medal, Barcelona 1992), Oren Smadg'a (Judo, Bronze Medal, Barcelona 1992) Gal Friedman (Mistral Wind Gliding, Bronze Medal, Atlanta 1996) Michael Kalganov (Kayaking, Bronze Medal, Sydney 2000). These three sports are depicted on the stamps.
The Israeli team represents all walks of Israel's society: men, women (both native and immigrants), city dwellers, villagers and kibbutznikim.
The team will compete in fourteen sports: athletics, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, swimming, synchronized swimming, kayaking, fencing, shooting, sailing, taekwondo, tennis and table tennis. The team members include Olympic medal winners, world and European champions and athletes who have reached impressive achievements in world sporting events.
Israel's flag was waved for the first time at he Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. Since then Israel has participated in all the Dlympic Games apart from Moscow 1980, vhich was boycotted by the United States and 60 other countries because of the war n Afghanistan.
The murder of eleven Israeli athletics during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games will be , engraved in history as the worst tragedy in Israeli sport and in the history of the Olympic Games. The Israeli team will hold a ceremony in remembrance of the eleven athletes, at the memorial in Tel Aviv, before they leave for Athens.
The slogan "Hatikva (hope) = gold" will accompany the Israeli team in Athens and we hope that our athletes will "go faster, reach higher and be stronger".
The Israel Olympic Committee
