cablewushuparagliding

  • Issue: April 2014
  • Designer: Tal Hoover
  • Stamp Size: 40 mm x 30 mm
  • Plate no.: 945, 944, 943
  • Security mark: Microtext
  • Sheet of 15 stamps, Tabs: 5
  • Printers: Joh. Enschede, The Netherlands
  • Method of printing: Offset

Non-Olympic sports are comprised of a variety of sports that are not included in the Olympic Games. World Championships and European Championships are held in these sports, just like Olympic sports.

The World Games, the non-Olympic equivalent of the Olympic Games, are held every four years. Many well known and popular sports are among the non-Olympic sports, such as American football, cricket, karate, water skiing, surfing and more.

This stamp series includes three sports that take place on land, air and sea.

Cable Water Skiing
Cable water skiing is conducted in Israel at Begin Park in Tel Aviv, in an artificial lake created to meet international standard measurements, which serves the general public as well as competitions. The skier is pulled by a rope which is attached to a system of cables affixed around the perimeter of the lake, at a height of 10 meters above the water. The ski course is rectangular and it is approximately one kilometer in length. Competitive athletes must cope with varying speeds, springboard height, shortening of the rope and tricks at different levels of difficulty.

Water skiing includes different competitive disciplines: slalom, tricks, jumps and wake boarding. It is considered to be one of Israel's three most highly-decorated sports. Israeli athletes consistently win top places in the World Championships and European Championships year after year.

Wushu
Wushu is an ancient Chinese art form that includes martial arts, dramatic arts, meditation techniques and more. A unique sport was created based on this art form.

Competitive Wushu is comprised of two disciplines: taolu (forms) and sancta (sparring).

Taolu is a competition in demonstrating martial art techniques and participants must demonstrate unique Wushu routines, barehanded as well as with traditional weapons. Sancta is a full-contact discipline in which competitors utilize techniques involving kicking, grappling and knock-downs. Wushu competitors are awarded points for their routines and, similar to other martial arts (karate, judo, etc), winning is based on the number of points accrued. There are different styles in Wushu, with and without weapons, such as swords, shaolin, pudao, double sword and more.

Israeli athletes are among the top European and worldwide Wushu competitors and consistently win medals.

Paragliding
This is an extreme sport in which the athlete takes off from an elevated spot and glides by utilizing airflow currents while harnessed to a canopy. This is free flying in its purest form. The paragliding apparatus is a simple glider craft that is easy to transport, set up and fly. Israel's climatic characteristics allow gliding year-round. Israel's sites are suited to the westerly summer winds and the easterly winds of winter. There are approximately 15 gliding sites located throughout Israel, the most popular of which are Mount Tabor, the Golan Heights (Kibbutz Mevo Hama), the Gilboa Mountains, Netanya, the Dead Sea (Dragot Cliffs), Har Ha'Ari (Mount Meron).

Arik Kaplan
President of Ayelet

Ayelet - the Federation of Non-Olympic Sport in Israel
Ayelet is the umbrella organization for all non-Olympic sports in Israel. The federation promotes all of the different non-Olympic sports in Israel and also cultivates exceptional athletes in these sports. Ayeletis responsible for preparing and sending the Israeli delegation to the World Games.

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Non-Olympic Sports