Amid all the wars and politics, I have managed to cultivate myself a “mini-beat” as the Jerusalem bureau’s sports reporter. Here is a selection of some of the stories and features I have written about sports in Israel and while covering the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The 1972 Munich Olympics were marked by historic achievements and unprecedented controversy but will be forever defined by devastating catastrophe. In hosting the 1972 Munich Games, West Germany was eager to erase the stain of…
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Just before heading to sleep on Sept. 4, 1972, Israeli Olympic racewalker Shaul Ladany lent his alarm clock to wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, a fellow Israeli delegation member known by his nickname “Muni,” who had…
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — As a baseball-crazed kid growing up in Miami, Danny Valencia dreamed of playing in the Major Leagues. The thought of heading to the Olympics, for a foreign country no less, never crossed his mind. But…
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Soccer superstar Lionel Messi finally arrived in sports-crazed Israel on Sunday, after a Palestinian protest campaign derailed his previous visit and the latest round of cross-border fighting in Gaza threatened to scare him off once…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, accepted Israel’s prestigious Genesis Prize at a lavish ceremony on Thursday, where he pledged $20 million to establish a foundation dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and the Palestinian-led boycott…
JERUSALEM (AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been awarded Israel’s 2019 Genesis Prize in recognition of his philanthropy and commitment to combatting anti-Semitism, organizers of the prize announced on Wednesday. The $1 million award, widely known as…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The sports-crazed nation of Israel was in uproar Wednesday over Argentina’s abrupt cancellation of a World Cup warmup match following pro-Palestinian protests, with some of the country’s leaders accusing Lionel Messi and his teammates of caving to…
JERUSALEM (AP) — With Chris Froome likely feeling the ill effects of a training crash, defending champion Tom Dumoulin won the opening stage of the 101st Giro d’Italia on Friday. Froome, who bloodied his right knee and ripped his shorts…
JERUSALEM (AP) — Of the 22 teams competing in this year’s Giro d’Italia, the Israel Cycling Academy squad has perhaps the most at stake. Israel’s first pro cycling team is the event’s undoubted underdog. And while team officials say they…
JERUSALEM (AP) — After resolving a brief crisis over the status of its proclaimed capital, Israel is ready to finally get things underway this week with its historic hosting of the Giro d’Italia cycling race. The world’s best riders will…
JERUSALEM (AP) — Winding its way around the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, through modern Tel Aviv then the Negev desert down to the Red Sea, the start of next year’s Giro d’Italia will highlight Israel’s history, culture and varied…
RAMAT HASHARON, Israel (AP) — Some of the greatest NFL players of all time descended on a converted soccer field outside Tel Aviv to watch local youths scrimmage in a big boost for the burgeoning sport of American football in…