Israeli team talked to the media right before they leave for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. As we reported before, the location of the championships is quite problematic for the Israeli team due to difficult diplomatic relationships between the two countries. The Israeli athletes could potentially be targeted by terrorists while in Qatar and this has been a big security concern. The army finally allowed Artem Dolgopyat to go to Doha and the team will have special security traveling with them but they also take additional precautions like wearing warm-up suits without the Israeli flag or the word “Israel” on it in order not to attract attention. The concerns for the security of the team are especially pronounced now that the tension on the Israel-Gaza border is escalating again and this could potentially cause outrage among the Qataris.
At the same time, this is the first World Championships where the Israeli MAG has a chance to place well as a team and, since it’s the first qualifying stage for the Tokyo Olympics, missing the competition was not an option. The team had multiple camps abroad this year to prepare for the competition and spent the last few weeks at Round Lake, training with the Russian team.
You’ve got to admire the dedication of the athletes who are willing to risk their lives in order to achieve their dream of going to the Olympics.
Sergei Vaisburg, the head of the MAG team, said to the media:
“This is the first time that we will be competing in an Arab country. On one hand, it’s worrying, but on the other hand, we want to prove that even in such a country we can produce good results. I hope that we will be treated just like at any other competition, that we will be there with [the Israeli] flag and the leotards with the Israeli flag and that it won’t cause any trouble. However, we are ready for everything, we are bringing security people with us, and we are confident that everything will be fine. We are also bringing warm-ups without Israeli symbols but, of course, the leotards will have the flag on them, so when we will be on the medal podium, we will be with the flag”.
Vaisburg talked about the goals for the team:
“First of all, to compete as a team, this is the championships that give the team a ticket to the next World Championships in 2019 – something that we’ve never gotten before. We have strong gymnasts – Shatilov and Dolgopyat – that can bring good results and, of course, Medvedev, who has a great chance to make the event final. The goal is to make the event finals and there’s a good chance that this will happen. And in the final, it’s the fight of the characters – the strongest will win. It’s not going to be easy in any case”.
Ofir Netzer and Meitar Lavy will be the WAG representatives for Israel. The injury-ridden national team currently doesn’t have many healthy elites, so the federation elected to send only two people. Neither likely will make the finals (Netzer does two vaults but lacks difficulty) but it will be a good experience, especially for Lavy, the first year senior.
Netzer said about her goals for the competition:
“The World Championships is the biggest event we have this year, so, of course, it’s exciting. My goal is to have a clean competition without falling or getting injured. The injuries I’ve experienced in recent years will never be behind me and I still feel them physically but I believe that now everything is good”.
Photo: Israeli Gymnastics Federation
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