Israel Made Bobsled Debut in the Winter Olympics History

In the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Israel made debut for Men's Bobsled which they will have 2 player game and 4 player game which it's very incredible to represent their country.

Israel has made its debut in bobsled (bobsleigh) at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. This marks the first time in history that Israel has sent a bobsled team to the Winter Olympics.

The team, affectionately nicknamed "Shul Runnings"(a playful twist on the movie Cool Runnings, where "shul" means synagogue in Yiddish), is led by captain Adam "AJ" Edelman. Edelman is a historic figure himself he's the first Orthodox Jewish athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics (he previously represented Israel in skeleton at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, finishing 28th) and the first Israeli to qualify for the Olympics in two different sliding sports.

The team includes a diverse group of athletes:

- AJ Edelman (pilot/driver, American-Israeli, Orthodox Jewish)

- Menachem Chen (also a pilot in some events, including an Arkansas State University athlete)

- Other push athletes like Omer Katz, Uri Zisman, and Ward Fawarseh (a Druze athlete making history as potentially the first Druze Olympian for Israel)

- They've even been described in stories as including "five Jews, a Druze, and a dog" (referring to their team spirit and perhaps a mascot or literal pup in their journey).

This achievement came after years of effort, including fundraising, training (often in places like Lake Placid), and overcoming challenges like narrowly missing qualification for the 2022 Beijing Games. Most of the athletes came from non-winter sports backgrounds (e.g., pole vault, sprinting, rugby, shot put), making the qualification even more improbable for a country with limited winter sports infrastructure.

Their Olympic schedule includes:

- Two-man bobsled heats on February 16–17, 2026 (with Edelman and Chen piloting in some runs)

- Four-man competition on February 21–22, 2026

The debut has drawn attention as a symbol of resilience, unity, and national pride—especially given reports of adversity like boos at the opening ceremony and other setbacks. It's being celebrated widely as a milestone for Israeli winter sports.

A true underdog story on ice! 🇮🇱❄️