NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Israel’s Olympic bobsled team captain AJ Edelman has fulfilled a mission in life: leading the first Israeli bobsled team to reach the Olympic Games.
He had to sacrifice millions in Bitcoin to get his team to Milan Cortina, and then had to live on smoked salmon and pizza for two weeks when he got there.
It wasn’t even the best pizza he’s ever had. He prefers Chicago deep dish.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
And the entire team had to grab some arrows throughout the process. The hotel where Edelman’s team said was robbed days before the competition began.
Then, when they finally reached the track, an announcer launched into a politically charged tirade against the team as they competed. The station made reference to the military service of several athletes on the team.
“Edelman, a first-time Olympian and self-described ‘Zionist to the core,’ who has posted several messages on social media in support of the genocide in Gaza,” said RTS presenter Stefan Renna during the team’s heat in the Olympic two-man bobsled competition on February 16.
“This raises the question of his presence in Cortina during these games, since the [International Olympic Committee] had indicated that athletes who – and I quote – ‘actively supported the war by participating in pro-war events, participating militarily or through their social media activities’ were not eligible to participate.”
The entire broadcast was subsequently removed from the RTS website. But millions had already found out, including Edelman and his teammates.
“This individual clearly pre-wrote a two-minute rant, you know, the entirety of our career. I think it’s very sad, I don’t know how you can live like that,” he said.
“On a personal level, I’ve dealt with a lot worse. I said those things. I said I’m a Zionist, I said I’m proud of Ward. [Fawarseh]who served I said that. I said what I said. I think Israel is fair. I think it’s a force for good. I defend that strength forever. I represent that force forever. “So when someone just says that I represent evil or that I’m evil for representing what I represent, it’s like water running down my back.”
Several members of the Israeli team served in the nation’s military. Some of them were sent to Gaza to fight Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attacks.
“Israelis are Israelis. What they do in service to the country will always define who they are,” Edelman said.
“At this moment we consider ourselves entirely athletes… I can say that as athletes, as men, as humans and Israelis, I am very proud of their achievements on the Olympic stage.”
The team finished 26th in the two-man bobsled competition, falling short of Edelman’s pre-Olympic goal of placing in the top 20. Germany won 10 of the 12 luge medals and all eight gold and silver medals in Milan Cortina.
Still, Edelman considers the team’s journey a success worth celebrating because of its historical symbolism and the adversity it had to endure to get there.
Israel’s Adam Edelman, left, and Menachem Chen celebrate at the end of a two-man bobsled race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The team came within just 0.01 seconds of reaching the Beijing Games four years ago. Many of the team’s athletes were then called to war after October 7 of the following year.
For Edelman, simply ensuring the team existed at the time was anything but certain.
They came back to qualify for Milan Cortina in what was, in one way or another, Edelman’s last attempt at the Olympic Games.
OLYMPIANS SPEAK UP IN DEFENSE OF EILEEN GU AMID CRITICISMS FOR COMPETING FOR CHINA OVER US
But they couldn’t even reach Milan Cortina before adversity struck.
On the way to Italy, the team was staying in a hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. As captain, Edelman previously traveled to Venice, and it was then that he discovered that his team’s hotel in Prague had been robbed and vandalized.
“For us it was just another Tuesday,” Edelman said.
“We have been denied the chance to stay in places in Germany because it was Christmas Eve and they saw that we were Jewish. Another athlete who is competing in the Games this time said he would never compete on this team because Israel is a bunch of ‘baby killers’. A swastika was drawn on our team van.”
They left the robbery behind to give their best once the competition began.
The reward came when letters from Israel’s fanatics began to arrive. This reminded Edelman and his teammates why they did this. They wanted to inspire their countrymen, especially the next generation, to achieve improbable feats.
“The reception from the team has been overwhelming,” Edelman said. “They’re putting their hopes and their dreams into your journey, and that’s something very special. When they think about it, they probably won’t remember you, they probably won’t remember you at all, but they will remember that the country was represented.”
In the final days of the games, as Edelman came to the end of his decade-plus journey, he reflected on it all.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Israel’s Adam Edelman, left, and Menachem Chen, right, reach the finish line during a two-man bobsled race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
“I haven’t really processed being here yet,” Edelman said. “I don’t know what it will be like when all that is said and done…
“I’ve woken up every day for the last 12 years and I’ve gone to bed every night for the last 12 years with a goal in mind and a determination to achieve this. Now that I’ve realized that it’s done, I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, I think in some ways I’m worried, in some ways I’m excited.”
