Maccabi GB confirms withdrawal of junior delegation from Maccabiah Games

Maccabi GB has reconfirmed its 21 May decision to withdraw its delegation of junior athletes from the Maccabiah Games, despite the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) changing its travel guidance for Israel last week.

In a statement today, Maccabi’s Board said that while the change in FCDO advice, which saw most of Israel return to a travel green list, had given trustees the opportunity to review the previous decision, the key principles behind its original decision remained .

“The subsequent increase in hostility between Israel and Iran underlined that the issue was not simply whether the logistics of taking a delegation could be made to work”, the statement said.

“The Board also had to consider its safeguarding, security and governance responsibilities in relation to taking children to Israel at short notice and did not believe that reinstating the Junior delegation was the correct decision.”

The organisation added, however, that given the different considerations and deadlines involved in adult participation, the green FCDO advice means that Maccabi GB will be taking a delegation of open and masters athletes to the Maccabiah, made up of those teams and individual athletes who still wish to compete at the Games later this month.

For junior athletes, and for open and masters athletes who have withdrawn, Maccabi GB has already confirmed that a refund process is underway, reflecting “unrecoverable costs incurred by the charity over the course of the Maccabiah process.”

Jewish News understands that the first initial refund payment has either already been made or is currently being processed. The balance of funds, which have been paid to Maccabi World Union, the Maccabiah Games organisers in Israel, is for the individual participant registration fees and is due to be repaid to Maccabi GB within 90 days of the completion of the Games. Once received, Maccabi GB will pass those funds immediately on to the participants.

The 22nd Maccabiah Games, the flagship event of Maccabi World Union, is the largest Jewish sporting competition in the world and the second-largest sports event globally, often called the ‘Jewish Olympics’. It is due to bring together more than 8,000 athletes from around 55 countries.

The 2026 Games are taking place in Israel from June 28 to July 14, having been postponed from 2025 due to the twelve-day conflict with Iran.