Kirk Douglas and Los Angeles Committee of 18 Help Put 2009 Maccabiah Games on a Worldwide Stage
LOS ANGELES-(Business Wire)-February 12, 2009 - A group of Southern California-based business, entertainment and civic leaders have come together to create worldwide awareness and provide unprecedented financial and technical support for The 18th Maccabiah World Games in Israel – the quadrennial Jewish Olympics – the opening ceremonies are set to take place in Tel Aviv, July 13, 2009 and the games continue through July 24th.
The “Committee of 18,” spearheaded by business and civic leader Steve Soboroff, is providing $1.5 million in financial support as well as expertise in naming rights, marketing, merchandising and television to make the upcoming 18th Maccabiah Games the first ever to be broadcast outside of Israel.
Legendary entertainment industry leader, philanthropist and Los Angeles resident Kirk Douglas provided early support for the effort. “I am very excited about these games,” he said, “because sport is an international language that brings people together, not tears them apart.”
The sporting event, which brings together Jewish athletes from 65 countries to compete in open, masters, juniors and disabled competitions, will be broadcast to 20 million households through a first-ever partnership brokered by the Committee of 18 with JLTV and its broadcast partners at Time Warner, Comcast and DirecTV.
“Los Angeles ushered the Olympics into a new era in 1984, and our goal is to do for the Maccabiah a small part of what Peter Ueberroth did for the Olympic Games,” Soboroff said. “Los Angeles is home to the best and brightest sports and entertainment thinkers in the world. The answer to Maccabiah’s challenge was right here in Los Angeles, so we stepped up to help this event get to a new level, and for more athletes to have the opportunity to compete.”
The $1.5 million in locally raised funds will enable nearly 350 athletes who qualify for the Maccabiah World Games but are unable to pay their way to participate. “The $4,500 direct cost for each team member is an impossible financial reach for some athletes, and thanks to the commitment of the Committee of 18 members in Los Angeles, people from throughout the world will see their dreams come true,” said Eyal Tiberger, Director-General of the Maccabi World Union. One team that will compete thanks to the support from the Los Angeles leaders is the cricket team from Mumbai, India. Members of that team were colleagues of the Jewish leaders slain in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
In addition to signing the precedent-setting television contract, the Committee of 18 has matched world class sports organizations and leaders from Los Angeles to help Maccabiah organizers plan for the future. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers have underwritten the baseball competition. Alan Rothenberg, the former 1994 World Cup Chair/CEO and Commissioner of Soccer for the 1984 Olympic Games, is assisting with the soccer competition. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has arranged for the Maccabiah to be represented professionally by a sponsorship group to actively market opportunities.
Artist Peter Max has agreed to paint the official 2009 Maccabiah poster. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard J. Riordan, a chess enthusiast, underwrote the chess competition. 1984 Olympic and Maccabiah Gold Medalist Mitch Gaylord, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, will help broadcast the Maccabiah Games online and through broadcast feeds produced by Los Angeles-based Jewish Life Television.
“Los Angeles is the sports, entertainment and sponsorship capital of the world, and we are thrilled to step up in a big way to bring about worldwide exposure of the Maccabiah Games,” said Los Angeles Dodgers President Jamie McCourt. “It’s not often you can create this type of goodwill in 65 countries,” she said.
Most of the Committee of 18 will travel to Israel in July to take in the Maccabiah World Games, including the Opening Ceremonies. For a full list of the committee member names, please contact Sugerman Communications Group at (310) 689-7535. For more information about the 18th Maccabiah World Games, visit: www.maccabiah.com.
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