Sport in Israel

Sports in Israel are an important part of the national culture. Sports in Israel are pursued both competitively and for leisure. Israelis engage in a wide range of athletic activities, with association football being the most popular sport. Israel has won eight medals in the Olympic Games, in judo, canoeing and windsurfing, and an Israeli grandmaster is the holder of the 2009 Chess World Cup. Israel also has a tradition of tennis. Another major achievement by an Israeli athlete was in pole vaulting.

Football (soccer, כדורגל, Kaduregel) is the most popular sport in Israel. The sport is under the jurisdiction of the Israel Football Association. It joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954, but was expelled in 1974 due to political pressure from Arab and Muslim members in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict. It was admitted to UEFA as an associate member in 1992 and as a full member in 1994, therefore their teams compete as part of Europe in all international competitions.

The matches that draw the largest crowds are those of the Israeli Premier League. In 1967, Hapoel Tel Aviv became the first club to win the Asian Club Championships. In the 2001–02 UEFA Cup Hapoel reached the quarter-finals after knocking out Chelsea, Lokomotiv Moscow and Parma.

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