Israeli athletes had already been preparing for an abnormal Olympic experience. They expected their time at the Games to be marked as much by protests, heavy security, intense scrutiny and questions around politics and the war raging in Gaza as their own competitions.
“It’s a bummer, but it is what it is,” Maor Tiyouri, an Israeli marathoner, said before she arrived in Paris.
Ms. Tiyouri, who also ran the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, has competed internationally since she was 16. Now 33, she doesn’t wear any national gear when she travels, she said, and has taped over the Israeli flag on her national team backpack.
“It’s always been this way,” Ms. Tiyouri, said, adding, “It’s hard but that’s just the reality of things, and if that means I’m more safe, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
It’s not so different for Anat Lelior, an Israeli surfer, who has reached the round of 16 in the women’s event. Representing Israel is “nowadays a lot different,” she said from Teahupo’o, Tahiti, where the surfing competition is being held. “I don’t go around saying I’m Israeli as much as I have, just for my safety.”
Israeli athletes have been instructed to not engage in protests or discussions, or to share their own opinions about the war, regardless of what they may be. Being asked to censor themselves is exhausting yet expected, many say. The athletes said they felt that to many, they were a flag — not a person or athlete with their own beliefs or political views but a repository for anger or frustration.
There have been some strained interactions among athletes. Adam Maraana, an 100-meter backstroke swimmer and the first Israeli-Arab to represent Israel since 1976, tried to swap pins with Algerian athletes but was turned away, he said. (Pin trading is a tradition at the Olympic Games. Countries, sports and brands make special Olympic pins, and athletes flash their finds along their identification lanyards.)
“I do understand it’s their choice, but it’s a little bit disappointing,” Maraana said.
Still, athletes are clinging to the joy of participating in the Olympics.
Itamar Einhorn, a soft-spoken Israeli cyclist competing in his first Olympics, has worked to balance the emotions and complexities that come with representing Israel with the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
News back home affects him a lot of the time. But, he said, with a sigh, “This is a very special experience.”
