Sports center for the disabled – turning lives around

The Israel Sports Center for the Disabled in Ramat Gan is the perfect arena for the rehabilitation of those with disabilities.

By EMANUEL MFOUKOU
gym, pool Ramat Gan (photo credit: Emanuel Mfoukou)
gym, pool Ramat Gan
(photo credit: Emanuel Mfoukou)
For various reasons, Israel has an unusually high number of disabled citizens. Around 650,000 people, or almost 10% of the Israeli population, suffer from some degree of physical disability, according to the Israeli Sports Association for the Disabled.
Some are Israeli natives born with a handicap, while others were injured during their service as IDF soldiers during the nation’s many conflicts.
Some are random victims of the numerous terrorist attacks launched against innocent civilians over the decades, or of the country’s many road accidents. Still others are disabled immigrants who moved to Israel for the advanced medical treatments it has to offer.
With such a large portion of the population suffering from disabilities, it is crucial to have an arena for their rehabilitation. That is the purpose behind the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled in Ramat Gan.
The Center was founded in 1960, but its story goes back much further and is linked directly to Ludwig Guttmann, a German-Jewish doctor who is considered the father of the modern Paralympics movement.
In 1939, Dr. Guttmann fled Nazi Germany for England. While working there with patients suffering from spinal injuries, he discovered the importance of sports in the rehabilitation process. This discovery led him to set up what was known as the Stoke Mandeville Games for the Paralyzed in 1948.
Over the ensuing years, these games developed into the Paralympic Games, which were first held under that name in 1960 alongside the Olympic Games in Rome.
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben- Gurion, learned of Guttmann’s work early on and invited him to Israel in 1949 in order to seek his advice on how to rehabilitate soldiers severely injured during the War of Independence.
Guttmann’s first suggestion was to start a sports program, something that he claimed had been extremely helpful in providing motivation and lifting spirits among many of the wounded from World War II.
In 1956, Israel was drawn into a second war in Sinai. In addition, a large number of children worldwide were born with polio during those years, including in Israel. Thus, the growing demand led to the creation of just such a sports program for the disabled.
What started out as a very small initiative in 1960 has since developed into one of the largest facilities for disabled athletes in the world, currently serving more than 2,000 members. Today, between 70 to 80% of all medals that Israelis have won in the Paralympics since 1960 have been carried home by athletes connected to the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled in Ramat Gan.
Boaz Kremer, the newly appointed director of ISCD, is currently ranked number 14 on the list of the world’s best wheelchair tennis players. He also holds the silver medal in tennis doubles from the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing and is currently preparing for the upcoming Paralympic Games in London next summer.
Kremer recently told The Christian Edition that the first goal of the center is to better integrate people with disabilities into Israeli society.
“We have more than 60 years of experience in the field and have learned that there is a very strong link between sports participation and social integration,” he explained. “Many of us have used sports as a platform for gaining self-confidence and becoming productive members of society, instead of a burden.”
Kremer is a stunning example of what the center can do for people with physical disabilities. A graduate of the medical school at Tel Aviv University, he is married and the father of a young daughter.
“As much as we are happy to see our members win sport events, we are even happier to see our people succeed in society. That in itself is more important than the athletic side,” he insisted.
He is especially proud of the unique model that the center has become.
“It’s like nothing else in the world,” he enthused. “I know many international athletes that I have met on tours, and all of them envy us for having such a sport center.”
“The Ramat Gan center is a one-stop facility for disabled athletes. People who come here don’t have to worry about equipment, training, or social or psychological support. We provide the whole package. It’s easy for them and their parents. All they have to do is show up and we do the rest.”
One of the many people who, thanks to the sports center, have recovered from serious life blows is Asael Shabo. In 2002, when he was only eight years old, a Palestinian terrorist broke into his family’s house in the settlement of Itamar and killed his mother and three of his brothers. Asael managed to survive the attack but lost his right leg.
During his time in hospital, he was invited to the center and after only a couple of swimming lessons developed a love for the sport. Ten years later, Asael is one of the best disabled swimmers in the world, currently holding the Israeli record for 50 meters freestyle. He is aiming to participate in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janiero.
A couple years ago, Asael also developed an interest in wheelchair basketball, and discipline and hard training have landed him a spot on the Israeli national basketball team.
Today, Asael lives with his father in Kedumim, in Samaria, and spends a large part of his time practicing both swimming and basketball at the center near Tel Aviv. He also works in the mornings and spends time with his girlfriend in the evenings.
When asked what the center has meant to him, Asael explained: “After the attack it was very hard for the surviving family to relate to one another.
But two years ago, my father’s new wife gave birth to triplets, two boys and one girl, which brought back our smiles.
“In addition, the center encouraged me during those hard times and helped me become wiser; to become an adult.
“Sports does something good for the body and the mind, which makes you smarter. You grow both physically and mentally.
“We are like a family here. I really like this place, and the people are very good because they really do something that makes a difference.”
Despite the tremendous impact the center has had on many disabled athletes in Israel, it receives no government funding and is thus struggling financially. Around half of the budget is raised within Israel and the rest from donors worldwide, especially in the United States and United Kingdom.
Kramer was grateful that Christians are becoming very strong advocates of the center, and noted in particular the sponsorship provided by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and Christians from the state of Georgia.
Today, the center is in a desperate need of refurbishment. Asael explained that the basketball court is 40 years old and in dire need of repair.
“When you go on the court, it feels like you are on the moon,” he said. “The boards are broken, and there is no air conditioner in the entire building.”
Israeli government officials are not interested in financing such a project, contending that sports do not fall under the fundamental services eligible to disabled citizens, Kremer asserted, while also noting that disabled Israelis do receive a generous assistance package from the state.
“We are always trying to get the government more involved, but the support is limited and we are therefore forced to count on our fundraising success. It’s a year-to-year struggle.”
Nonetheless, Kremer is convinced that sports are a key foundation of any rehabilitation process for the disabled. It certainly turned around his life for the better.


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