The 2022 World Maccabiah Games kicked off in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, welcoming thousands of athletes to the largest Jewish sporting tournaments in the world.
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President Isaac Herzog opened the games, which were originally slated to take place in the summer of 2021 but were postponed over a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the launch, US President arrived and greeted approximately 250 US athletes attending the events and spoke about his experience in sports as a young man.
He shook hands with athletes and supporters who cheered "Joe" and "USA", telling them, "I'm so damn proud of you." He then added: "You're not only great athletes … You demonstrate to the world that we can do anything."
He then told a story about playing football in college and asking a friend from Syracuse to help him get a walk-on NFL tryout. The friend said he could help get him a walk-on but his agent worried Biden wouldn't be able to walk off the field if he tried out.
Dubbed the "Jewish Olympics," the 21 edition of the Maccabiah will take place on July 14-26 and see over 10,000 athletes from 80 countries compete in 47 different sports.
Events will be held in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Netanya and feature four competition categories: Open, Junior, Masters, and Paralympics.
According to the game's website, the Open division is generally unlimited in age, subject to the governing international rules in each sport. Any qualifying athlete age 15-18 can compete in the Junior category, and the Masters division features a variety of age categories.
First held in 1932, the Maccabiah Games are the third largest international sporting event in the world, after the Olympic Games and Pan American Games.
In a statement on the Maccabiah website, organizers said, "The principal mission of the Maccabiah is to facilitate a worldwide gathering of young Jewish athletes in Israel, staging the highest possible levels of sports competitions, and strengthening their connection to the State of Israel and the Jewish people."
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