[press release]
The 20th Maccabiah
Faster, Higher, Stronger
When the opening whistle was sounded on March 28th 1932, no one could have anticipated that the 20th Maccabiah would take place in the State of Israel 85 years later, with 10,000 participating athletes from 80 countries, competing in 40 different sports categories, and accompanied by over 20,000 delegates and family members.
The 390 Jewish athletes from 17 countries who competed in the first Maccabiah, organized by Maccabi World Union, could not have guessed that today the Maccabiah would be the third largest sporting competition event in the world. They could not have imagined that the best Jewish athletes in the world – including world champions and Olympic medalists – would take part in this Zionist project.
However, there is one thing that has not changed in the past 85 years: the underlying connection between Israel and the Diaspora Jews, and the central role Israel plays in Jewish identity. The Maccabiah has never been just a mere sporting event, but also a celebration of the Jewish people, the never-ending relationship of the Jewish people with Eretz Israel and the State of Israel. That is why the Maccabiah is the only international sporting event that always takes place in the same place: Israel.
This year, the 20th Maccabiah will mark 50 years of the unification of Jerusalem, the beating heart of Israel. The opening ceremony, which will take place in the Teddy stadium in Jerusalem, will salute the greatest symbols of Jewish identity through the ages.
The 20th Maccabiah stamp also celebrates and combines historical elements with the latest fashions. Colorful new graphical elements are intertwined with historical pictures of the Maccabiah. In this way, the design language combines the old and the new, and creates one consistent graphical design that emphasizes the sporting spirit, the importance of the State of Israel, the social aspects of the Maccabiah, simplicity and the Israeli spirit.
The 20th Maccabiah: 80 countries, One heart.
The stamp and First Day Cover feature athletes from different sports. 
