Nations participating 26 Athletes participating 1,500 Opening ceremony July 9 | Debuting countries Costa Rica
Spain Opening city Ramat Gan Officially opened by Tal Brody | |
The 1973 Maccabiah Games were held in the shadow of the Munich massacre. 60,000 spectators packed Ramat Gan Stadium as Golda Meir and Abba Eban paid homage to the slain athletes.
Tamara Metal was chosen as torch bearer, but Metal recited the Vow of the Maccabiah Games instead because she was pregnant.
Israeli Olympian Shaul Ladany, who had competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics ( the year of the Munich massacre), won the 20-km and 50-km walks.
Esther Roth of Israel won the 100-meter race in 11.75, as well as the 200-meter. Maya Kalle-Bentzur of Israel was also a medalist at the Games.
In basketball, Ernie Grunfeld, who three years later won an Olympic gold medal, was the only high school student on the American team's starting five, and led the team in scoring with a 20-point average as the US took the silver medal. Grunfeld later played in the NBA, and became General Manager of the New York Knicks.