WINNIPEG — The Israeli youth archery team traveled to Winnipeg for the World Archery Youth Championships (Aug. 18–24) amid exceptional precautions, team, and community sources say. All competitors dealt with chaos from an Air Canada flight-attendants strike that “changed [the] schedule dramatically” for the event.
On top of that, Israeli officials reported that the global rise in antisemitism has imposed “unique security requirements and challenges” on their athletes.
According to local Jewish community reports, the Israeli competitors were accompanied by security personnel and largely confined to their hotel and the competition site for safety. The Israeli flag was reportedly withheld from the venue’s flag display for security reasons.
Despite these constraints, the young Israeli archers shot well in competition. Harel Mor tied for ninth place in the men’s under-18 recurve event, reaching the elimination quarterfinals, and Shelley Hilton tied for 17th in the women’s under-18 recurve.
Israel’s junior compound men’s team, consisting of Kfir Frank, Yiftach Hadar, and Shamai Yamrom, finished fifth overall, narrowly missing a medal. World Archery had noted that Olympic silver medalist Roy Dror of Israel was among the field in Winnipeg, underscoring the high level of Israeli participation.
The backdrop for the Winnipeg championships has been a sharp uptick in antisemitic incidents in Canada. Manitoba officials recently mandated Holocaust education in schools after B’nai Brith Canada reported a record 6,219 anti-Jewish hate incidents in 2024.
Canadian Jewish leaders say that anti-Israel sentiment and threats have made public events riskier for Jewish athletes. Israeli sports officials insist that protecting their athletes’ safety is paramount.
“Israel takes these concerns very seriously,” said Israel Olympic Committee President Yael Arad in a recent Reuters interview, noting that the current wave of global antisemitism has forced special security measures even at sporting events.
In Winnipeg, organizers praised all teams that overcame travel hurdles. “We’re just so appreciative of all the effort that the teams went into to get here,” tournament chair Kelly Taylor told the Winnipeg media. Yet for the Israeli team, ordinary competition had become an extraordinary challenge.
This article is based on verified information from Winnipeg CityNews, Reuters, and the official World Archery results archives.