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Israel Athlete Flown Home from Seoul for Operation

October 26, 1988
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Eliezer Unger, an amputee member of the Israeli volleyball team, was flown home Tuesday from Seoul, South Korea, after sustaining a serious injury.

Unger, a war veteran who lost a leg in battle, had finished participating in the Paralympics, the international games for the physically handicapped, which just ended in Seoul.

He and his teammates were on a sightseeing tour of the Korean capital when Unger fell and damaged the remains of his lost limb.

The team’s physician, Dr. Avraham Orri, decided against an operation in a Seoul hospital, and ordered Unger flown home immediately, accompanied by a teammate.

The 60 other team members are due to return Thursday, bringing home with them 41 medals. The disabled Israeli athletes placed 16th among 66 competing countries.

By contrast, the Israeli team that competed in the regular Olympic Games in Seoul last month returned without a single medal.

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