Overview
- The opening ceremony filled Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on Wednesday night and mixed large musical performances with Yizkor prayers and appearances by freed hostages, while President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the crowd.
- About 5,000 athletes are competing across Israel in a reduced program that spreads participants throughout the country rather than housing them in a single athletes' village.
- Organizers said roughly 3,000 foreign competitors traveled to Israel — including about 900 from the United States — alongside roughly 2,000 Israeli athletes representing some 40 countries.
- Maccabiah 2026 is funded mainly by athlete registration fees that cover more than half of the budget, with about 25% from Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport and the remainder from philanthropic and corporate partners.
- The Games deliberately trimmed events (no equestrian or squash), added exhibition sports such as pickleball, and incorporated commemorations tied to the Oct. 7 attacks as part of an effort to show unity while operating under tightened security and travel constraints.