1985 Maccabiah Games
Encyclopedia
The 1985 12th Maccabiah Games
brought over 4,000 athletes to Israel
from 40 nations to compete in 28 sports.
Twenty years after his first appearance in the Maccabiah, Olympic
Champion Mark Spitz
returned to Israel to carry the Opening Ceremony’s Torch into Ramat Gan Stadium. He was accompanied by Shirli Shapiro, Anok Spitzer, and Shlomit Romano, children of three of the Israelis slain at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Seven men's and 14 women's records were broken in swimming, with the U.S. team winning all but three of the gold medal
s in this category. Twelve new men's records and 7 new women's records were broken in track and field
.
The U.S. won 109 gold medals, 90 silver medal
s, and 74 bronze medal
s, slightly fewer than half of the medals won by all other countries combined.
Mark Berger
, who had won a silver medal at the Olympics the year prior, won a gold medal in judo.
A Junior Maccabiah was held for the first time.
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
brought over 4,000 athletes to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from 40 nations to compete in 28 sports.
Twenty years after his first appearance in the Maccabiah, Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Champion Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
returned to Israel to carry the Opening Ceremony’s Torch into Ramat Gan Stadium. He was accompanied by Shirli Shapiro, Anok Spitzer, and Shlomit Romano, children of three of the Israelis slain at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Seven men's and 14 women's records were broken in swimming, with the U.S. team winning all but three of the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s in this category. Twelve new men's records and 7 new women's records were broken in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
The U.S. won 109 gold medals, 90 silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
s, and 74 bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s, slightly fewer than half of the medals won by all other countries combined.
Mark Berger
Mark Berger (judoka)
Sensei Mark Berger is a Canadian judoka.He immigrated to Canada from Ukraine and East Germany.-Judo career:...
, who had won a silver medal at the Olympics the year prior, won a gold medal in judo.
A Junior Maccabiah was held for the first time.