1997 Maccabiah Games

15th Maccabiah
Host cityTel Aviv, Israel
Nations33
Debuting countries Kyrgyzstan
 Malta
 Slovakia
Athletes5,500
Events34
Opened byKerri Strug
Main venueRamat Gan Stadium

The 15th Maccabiah Games are remembered for being marred by a bridge collapse that killed several participants.

The Maccabiah had more than 5,000 athletes from 33 countries competing in 36 sports. New sports for the Games included beach volleyball, ice hockey, and taekwondo.