From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Israel selects two immigrant athletes as flag bearers for 2024 Paris Olympics
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
The Olympic Committee of Israel announces that judoka Peter Paltchik and swimmer Andi Murez will serve as the flag bearers for Israel at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month.
Paltchik, a native of Ukraine, competed for Israel at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he won a bronze as part of the mixed team judo competition. Murez, who was born in the United States, competed for Israel in both Tokyo and at the Rio 2016 Olympics. She is also a qualified doctor who juggled her medical school studies with her Olympic training.
“The Israeli delegation is a mosaic of Israeli society and the selected flag bearers — the exemplary athletes Peter Paltchik and Andi Murez — represent the essence of Israeli society: people who worked their way through many challenges with endless dedication, Zionists, leaders and influencers on their surroundings,” the OCI says in a statement.
The Olympics opening ceremony is slated for July 26 along Paris’s Seine River.
The Times of Israel Community.