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Frequently Asked Questions
The Maccabiah Games are known as the Jewish Olympics. They are held in Israel every four years. Over 80 countries from around the world send delegations to take part in the Maccabiah games, making it the third largest sporting event in the world.
The 22 Maccabiah will take place in Israel July 7-22, 2025.*
Opening Ceremonies are set to take place July 10, 2025*
Closing Ceremonies are set to take place July 21, 2025*
*Dates are subject to change
The travel dates for the Maccabiah are:
Junior Delegation
Depart from Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 2nd, 2025*
Azrieli Israel Experience - 6 Days - July 3 - 8, 2025*
Return to Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 22, 2025*
Open and Master Delegation
Depart from Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 7, 2025*
Return to Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 22, 2025*
*dates are subject to change
Opening Ceremonies will take place in Jerusalem on July 10, 2025*
Closing Ceremonies will take place on July 21, 2025*
*Dates are subject to change
Junior & Open athlete fees: $9,750*
The total participation fee is approximately $16,000. Thanks to the generosity of our Maccabi Canada donors, we are able to reduce the participation fees by 40% for our Junior and Open athletes.
The Junior athletes will participate in Maccabi Canada’s Azrieli Israel Experience. This is a 6 day program that takes part prior to the opening of the games. Thanks to the support of The Azrieli Foundation we are able to offer the Juniors this experience at no additional cost to the athletes.
The Junior athletes pricing is Pending an approval process, you/your teen - may be eligible for a $3,000USD voucher from RootOne. More details will be provided to selected athletes.
Masters athlete fee: $15,500*.
For the complete Masters Guide click HERE.
Golfers participation fees are subject to a green fee. For the complete Golfers Guide please click HERE.
Staff member fee: $1,800
Executive/non subsidized staff fee: $9,750*
Any deductions and/or additions will be applied to the final payment.
*Fees and dates are subject to change
Some additional fees may apply to some sports
Cost of Participation includes:
To contribute to an athlete click HERE
To donate to a team click HERE
For information on Athlete Refunds and Cancellation Policy for the Maccabiah Games, July 2025, click HERE
If you have questions or need further clarification, please contact our office at accounting@maccabicanada.com
All Junior and Open athletes are required to fly and stay with the delegation and are not allowed to make their own travel arrangements. Maccabi Canada will make the necessary flight arrangements for the Canadian delegation, and accommodations are assigned by MWU in Israel.
Only athletes in “Masters” age (35 plus), who are competing in the Masters category, can opt out of the flight and/or the accommodations.
All Junior and Open athletes are required to fly and stay with the delegation and are not allowed to make their own travel arrangements. Maccabi Canada will make the necessary flight arrangements for the Canadian delegation, and accommodations are assigned by MWU in Israel.
Only athletes in “Masters” age (35 plus), who are competing in the Masters category, can opt out of the flight and/or the accommodations.
Parents or family members of junior athletes cannot visit their children at the accommodation center, nor can they sign them out for family trips or visits during the Maccabiah. Parents are encouraged to come and cheer on their children at the competition venues. Junior athletes are the responsibility of Maccabi Canada from July 2, 2025 - July 22, 2025*.
All athletes, parents and guardians must be familiar with and adhere to Maccabi Canada’s policies and Code of Conduct. There are no exceptions.
*dates are subject to change.
Prospective athletes who are interested in being a part of the Canadian experience, please review the list of Sports Maccabi Canada is considering for the 22nd Maccabiah. These sports are tentative and will depend on the interest from athletes and other countries. Please read the Frequently Ask Question section carefully.
For more information please contact Ashley Kochman, National Athletic Director, at ashley@maccabicanada.com
To be part of the Scheinberg Family Canadian Delegation you must meet the following 3 requirements:
1. Provide proof of Canadian citizenship and/or has lived in Canada for a minimum of 6 consecutive months in the year of the games.
2. You must be Jewish to be eligible. See Jewish eligibility criteria below.
3. You must meet requirements relevant to the sport for which you are nominating. For more information about standards and qualifications for each sport click HERE.
Jewish Eligibility Criteria:
Maccabi Canada invites all Jews, either by birth or by choice, to apply to participate as athletes in the Maccabiah Games.
For the purposes of the Maccabiah Games, our organization considers an athlete to be Jewish if they were:
a. born to at least one Jewish parent, or
b. were raised by at least one Jewish parent, or
c. Jews who went through a conversion by a Rabbi of any denomination to Judaism, or
d. Qualifies through the Law of Return: child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew, except for a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion and is not practicing another religion.
* If you believe that you have a unique situation that is not captured in our Jewish eligibility criteria, please contact Lee Mes, Executive Director, at lee@maccabicanada.com
*If you have any questions regarding the sports standard eligibility qualifications please contact Ashley Kochman, National Athletic Director, at ashley@maccabicanada.com.
There are three age categories at the Games: Junior, Open and Masters. In all categories athletes can play-up (i.e. play in an older age category) but cannot play down. Some sports are only offered in the Open category, in these cases Junior and Masters age athletes who wish to compete in these sports and qualify, are included in the Open competition.
Junior – Juniors are athletes 18 years of age and under as of December 31, 2025 (birth years for junior athletes for the 22nd Maccabiah Games for most sports are athletes born between 2007-2010 or later). The minimum age to participate in the Games is 15 years old for most sports. In some sports such as Gymnastics and Swimming, and in some cases such as exceptionally talented athletes, an exception can be made to allow younger athletes to compete. The decision to allow a younger athlete to participate in the Games is at the discretion of Maccabi Canada, and must be approved by the organizing committee. Some Junior age athletes may be selected to play on an Open team *.
Junior Category is divided into two age divisions for most team sports**:
U16 – athletes born between 2009-2010
U18 – athletes born between 2007-2008
Boys: born between 2009-2011
Girls: Born between 2009-2012
Boys: born between 2007-2010
Girls born between 2010-2011
**Rhythmic Gymnastics female athletes born between 2010-2011
Open – The Open competition is the main event at the Games. Open athletes are 19 years and older at the time of the Games. This age category is for high level athletes who have qualified to make the teams. Generally, the Open category consists of athletes who are in their 20’s and in some cases may include talented Junior and Masters age athletes.
Masters – Masters athletes are 35 years and older at the Games (Hockey Masters are 40+, Golf masters are 50+). Within the Masters tournament many sports are divided into sub-categories based on age. Masters athletes may enjoy some privileges not offered to Open and Junior athletes such as making their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Some Masters age athletes may qualify and be selected to play on an Open team*.
* Junior and Masters age athletes who have qualified and been selected to participate in an Open sport are considered Open athletes and will be governed by the Open policies.
Yes, athletes can apply and tryout for more than one sport. However, the athlete must complete a separate application for each sport they are interested in trying out for. If selected for multiple teams / sports, the athlete will have to choose which team / sport they would like to compete in as athletes are only allowed to compete in one sport.
Each Head Coach and/or Manager for a specific team/sport will inform all athletes who have applied how the team is being selected.
For sports where tryouts are being held the tryouts dates have not been confirmed at this time.
For the list of sports click HERE.
Staff applications for the Maccabiah Games are open Apply HERE.
If you have any questions related to:
Only on-line submitted applications will be reviewed and ONLY those selected for an interview will be contacted.
For information on Athlete Refunds and Cancellation Policy for the Maccabiah Games, July 2025, click HERE
If you have questions or need further clarification, please contact our office at accounting@maccabicanada.com
In order to be considered you will need to apply. The initial $40 application fee is non-refundable under any circumstances except if the sport is cancelled by the Organizing Committee. Please note that when a tryout has taken place, and the sport is cancelled by the Organizing Committee, the application fee will be non-refundable.
Golf tryouts have an additional cost of $180 per person.
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