{"id":2372,"date":"2018-11-26T06:00:07","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/?p=2372"},"modified":"2018-11-11T06:13:43","modified_gmt":"2018-11-11T11:13:43","slug":"israel-s-sole-olympic-gold-winner-to-auction-off-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/israel-s-sole-olympic-gold-winner-to-auction-off-medal\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019 s Sole Olympic Gold Winner to Auction Off Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Last month, the windsurfer Gal Fridman, Israel\u2019 s sole Olympic gold winner, published an ad on his Facebook page:<\/p>\n

“\u05de\u05d7\u05e4\u05e9 \u05ea\u05d5\u05ea\u05d7 \u05d0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d9 \u05e9\u05de\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05de\u05db\u05d9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e4\u05d5\u05de\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05e9\u05dc \u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d8 \u05e0\u05d3\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d7\u05d9\u05d3 \u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLooking for an Ebay expert who understands how to auction a rare item, one of its kind in Israel\u201d<\/p>\n

Fridman won a\u00a0bronze medal\u00a0at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and a\u00a0gold medal\u00a0in the\u00a0Athens 2004 Olympics. He retired (\u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1<\/strong>) from professional surfing at the age of 33 and became a trainer (\u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b5\u05df<\/strong>). Last year, when he turned 41, he began a new occupation (\u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7, \u05e2\u05b4\u05e1\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7<\/strong>) as a photographer. Today, Fridman, a father of three, admitted he needs the money and is looking for the right way to sell his gold medal and Olympic surfboard.<\/p>\n

His short ad has drawn fire (\u05de<\/strong>\u05b8<\/strong>\u05e9<\/strong>\u05c1\u05b0<\/strong>\u05db<\/strong>\u05b8<\/strong>\u05d4 \u05d0<\/strong>\u05b5<\/strong>\u05e9<\/strong>\u05c1<\/strong>) from the media. One news website<\/a> titled this item by the word shock. People were dismayed by the sale of what feels to them as a symbol of national pride (\u05d2\u05bc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05bb\u05de\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/strong>). Many commenters tried to convince Fridman to reconsider selling. The most acute one was the Head of the Israeli Olympic Committee, who said:<\/p>\n

“\u05de\u05db\u05d9\u05e8\u05ea \u05de\u05d3\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05e4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05de\u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA sale of an Olympic Medal is something you don\u2019t do\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the Facebook responses accused Fridman of being a bad example (\u05de<\/strong>\u05b0<\/strong>\u05d4<\/strong>\u05b8<\/strong>\u05d5<\/strong>\u05b6<\/strong>\u05d5\u05d4 <\/strong>\u05d3\u05bc\u05bb\u05d2\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4<\/strong> \u05e8<\/strong>\u05b8<\/strong>\u05e2<\/strong>\u05b8<\/strong>\u05d4<\/strong>) to the younger generation. Fridman, the only Israeli athlete (\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05dc\u05b6\u05d8<\/strong>) to win two Olympic medals, answers that the younger generation should focus on acquiring a profession (\u05dc<\/strong>\u05bd<\/strong>\u05e8<\/strong>\u05b0<\/strong>\u05db<\/strong>\u05bc<\/strong>\u05d5<\/strong>\u05ba<\/strong>\u05e9<\/strong>\u05c1<\/strong> \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2<\/strong>\u05b7), and sports should be only a second priority.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Fridman is not the first Israeli athlete who finds it hard to make a living out of sport. Apparently sporting achievements and records don\u2019t guarantee the sportsmen (\u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b0\u05d8\u05b7\u05d0\u05bd\u05d9\u05dd<\/strong>) with financial stability (\u05d9\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05db\u05bc\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/strong>). Michael Kalganov, for example, the first Israeli to win the world kayak championship in 1998, won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Fifteen years later, Kalganov and his family left for Germany after been offered low wages (\u05e9\u05c2\u05b8\u05db\u05b8\u05e8<\/strong>) as a trainer. He wasn\u2019t the only one. Konstantin Matusevich, the Israeli record holder for the high jump, moved to Canada the same year to earn a decent living from his skills.<\/p>\n

Fridman, eventually, succumbed to the pressure, and said he would postpone the medal selling for now. But Israeli sportsmen are still struggling with low funding (\u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05df<\/strong>) and lack of opportunities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Text vocabulary<\/u><\/p>\n

Auction = \u05de\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e4\u05bc\u05bb\u05de\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/p>\n

Athlete = \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05dc\u05b6\u05d8<\/p>\n

Sportsman = \u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b0\u05d8\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9<\/p>\n

Trainer = \u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b5\u05df<\/p>\n

Occupation = \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7, \u05e2\u05b4\u05e1\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7<\/p>\n

To acquire profession = \u05dc\u05bd\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05ba\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7<\/p>\n

To retire = \u05dc\u05c5\u05e4\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05ba\u05e9\u05c1<\/p>\n

Retired = \u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1<\/p>\n

To draw fire = \u05dc\u05bd\u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05ba\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1<\/p>\n

To be a bad example = \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d5\u05d5\u05ba\u05ea \u05d3\u05bc\u05bb\u05d2\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4<\/p>\n

National pride = \u05d2\u05bc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05bb\u05de\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/p>\n

Olympic Medal = \u00a0\u05de\u05b6\u05d3\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/p>\n

Financial stability = \u05d9\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05db\u05bc\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea<\/p>\n

Wage = \u05e9\u05c2\u05b8\u05db\u05b8\u05e8, \u05de\u05b7\u05e9\u05c2\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b9\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea<\/p>\n

Funding = \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05df<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Last month, the windsurfer Gal Fridman, Israel\u2019 s sole Olympic gold winner, published an ad on his Facebook page: “\u05de\u05d7\u05e4\u05e9 \u05ea\u05d5\u05ea\u05d7 \u05d0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d9 \u05e9\u05de\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05de\u05db\u05d9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e4\u05d5\u05de\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05e9\u05dc \u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d8 \u05e0\u05d3\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d7\u05d9\u05d3 \u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5” \u201cLooking for an Ebay expert who understands how to auction a rare item, one of its kind in Israel\u201d Fridman won a\u00a0bronze medal\u00a0at…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2372","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t