Paralympic Athletes Participate in Youth Empowerment Marine Activity
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Paralympic athletes, including war wounded, joined a marine empowerment day in Tel Aviv.
- The event was a first-time collaboration between the Israeli Paralympic Sports Association and Ziv Ne'urim.
- Activities included surfing and paddleboarding, alongside lectures by prominent athletes and professionals.
- The initiative aims to empower individuals through marine activities and competitive sports.
- Ziv Ne'urim is an organization focused on youth empowerment and rehabilitation through marine activities.
Paralympic athletes, including "Swords of Iron" war wounded who have become elite athletes, participated in a day of empowerment and marine activities in Tel Aviv. This marks the first collaboration between the Israeli Paralympic Sports Association and the Ziv Ne'urim association, supported by the Daniel Howard Foundation. The event took place at a community center for water sports, featuring an accessible beach.
Participants engaged in surfing and stand-up paddleboarding, led by Ziv Ne'urim. The day also included lectures by Olympic surfer Lee Korzits and Dr. Osnat Pelis Doar, Director of Science, Innovation, and Technology at the Paralympic Association. The event was attended by Nissim Sasportas, CEO of the Association, and Dudi Viner, Acting Chairman.
Among the attendees were Taekwondo fighter Omer Bar'el, who lost an arm during the "Swords of Iron" war and recently won a silver medal in an international competition, and will compete in the World Championships in November. Also present were three members of the road cycling team, Daniel Kopilevitz, Ido Shemer, and Menachem Ben Khalifa, who are "Swords of Iron" war wounded and already represent Israel internationally. Other participants included visually impaired athletes Noam Larach and Ben Zellinger, young table tennis player Omer Gadot, kayak rower Mushka Cohen, climber Noga Toaff, and basketball player Nathan Buzana, representing the future of Israeli Paralympic sports.
Ziv Ne'urim, an organization founded by former members of the elite naval commando unit Shayetet 13 in memory of their comrade Ziv Levy, has been operating for over 26 years. It focuses on preventing dropout and empowering at-risk youth through a unique educational model combining challenging marine activities with deep educational and value-based processes. The association has expanded its programs to include evacuee families, bereaved families, individuals with PTSD, and reservist and regular soldiers, believing the sea can be a starting point for growth and rehabilitation.
The Daniel Howard Foundation, named after Daniel Amihai Marcus, has long supported the Israeli Paralympic Sports Association, believing in sports' power to drive social change and foster excellence.
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