Israeli Women Athletes Honored at Annual WSP Sports Awards Ceremony

The annual Israeli Women’s Sports Awards ceremony took place on July 30, 2026, at the WSC Sports offices in Ramat Gan, celebrating outstanding female athletes and coaches across various sports. The event was organized by WSP, The Voice of Women Athletes in Israel, with notable attendees including MK Simon Davidson, Dana Sender (Chair of the Women’s Basketball Premier League), Orit Raz (Head of Women’s Football at the Israel Football Association), and other prominent figures in Israeli women’s sports.

In basketball, Eden Tzipel, forward and captain of Hapoel Rishon LeZion and Israeli national team member, was named Player of the Year after leading her team to a historic championship. Daniela Reuven was honored as Coach of the Year for guiding Maccabi Carmiel Beit HaKerem to the playoffs in their return season to the top league before moving to coach Maccabi Haifa.

In football, Smadar Cohen of Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem was named Player of the Year after leading her team to its first-ever championship and finishing as the league’s top scorer with 28 goals. Coach Tzach Sharoni was recognized as Coach of the Year for his first season leading the team to historic success.

Other awardees included Raz Harshko as Olympic Athlete of the Year, Linor Kalman as Paralympic Athlete of the Year, and Katarina Zilberman as Volleyball Player of the Year. The Artistic Roller Skating team was named Team of the Year.

Noa Zlevansky, founder of WSP, emphasized the importance of empowering women in sports and increasing media coverage, noting that women’s sports currently receive only 4% of total sports media coverage in Israel. She dedicated the event to her late mother and highlighted WSP’s growth from a solo initiative to a team of about 30 working daily to promote women’s sports. The ceremony underscored the role of women athletes as role models and the need to bring women’s sports from the margins to the center of Israeli society.