Israel has until May 23 to decide whether or not to boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow this summer. The decision will have political ramifications and could possibly affect Israel’s future participation in international sports events, according to Yitzhak Ofek, chairman of the Israel Olympic Committee.
The decision by the American Olympic Committee to stay out of the Games at President Carter’s behest because of the Soviet invasion at Afghanistan is bound to be a factor in the Israeli decision. Ofek noted that Israel will have to take into consideration the U.S. attitude and that of the West European countries.
On the other hand, he said, Israel has fought consistently against attempts to inject politics into sports. It would be difficult, therefore, for it to explain a boycott of the Olympics. A boycott may also endanger Israel’s precarious position in the sports world which has come increasingly under the grip of politicians, he noted. Many attempts have been made by the Arab countries and some of their Third World and Communist allies to keep Israel out of international events.
Israel must also take into consideration the fact that the presence of Israeli athletes in Moscow would be of great importance to Soviet Jews and could encourage aliya, Ofek said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
