Yael Arad continues to make history. At the Barcelona Games in 1992, the Israeli judoka became the first Olympic medalist since the creation of the State of Israel, winning the silver medal in the 61 kg category. She then dedicated her performance to the victims of the attack at the athletes' village at the Munich Games in 1972. On Sunday, November 7, she added a new line to her personal journey by being elected president of the National Olympic Committee of Israel ( OIC). She is the first woman to lead the body, but also the first Olympic medalist to reach the supreme position. Aged 54, Yael Arad was the only candidate in the presidential election. “ Until now, no woman had led the association, nor any former athlete. I call on other women to apply for key roles“, she explained after her election. She succeeds Igal Carmi, who chaired the OIC for the past nine years. According to the daily Israel Hayom, Yael Arad would have expressed his desire to include Arab athletes in the Israeli delegation to the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Games. The last presence of an Arab representative in the Israeli Olympic team dates back to the Montreal Games in 1976 .
