 | |
| Host city | Tel Aviv, Israel |
|---|---|
| Nations | 35[1] |
| Debuting countries |  Bermuda  Puerto Rico  New Zealand |
| Athletes | 3,500[1] |
| Events | 31 sports[1] |
| Opening | July 7, 1981[1] |
| Closing | July 16, 1981, in Jerusalem; Israeli President Yitzhak Navon[1] |
| Opened by | Torch lit by Tal Brody[2] |
| Main venue | Ramat Gan Stadium |
The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations.[1] The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes parading past him.[1] Representative Jack Kemp (R; New York) and a supporter of Israel, marched with the United States team.[1] Israel won the most medals (199), with 65 gold. The United States won 188 medals, 85 gold. South Africa, Britain, and Canada had the next-most total medals.
The 31-sports menu included rugby union,[3] sailing and softball for the first time. New facilities for squash, wrestling, karate, and judo were introduced.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "11th Maccabiah Games Begin". July 7, 1981 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Israel Highlights". December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1), p.68