JERUSALEM (JTA) — The 2021 Maccabiah Games have been postponed for a year due to the worldwide coronavirus crisis.
In a statement Thursday announcing the move to July 2022, the Maccabi World Union said the main reason was not to have the 21st games coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, which last week were postponed from this summer to 2021. This allows Jewish athletes to participate in both major sporting events.
Thousands of athletes from over 80 countries arrive in Israel to compete every four years in the Maccabiah Games, which take place the year after the Olympics.
In 1932, the first Maccabiah Games featured some 390 athletes from 18 countries.
