Rehearsal for Maccabiah games opening ceremony held in Rishon Letzion

Just over a month before the start of the 18th Maccabiah, a soccer pitch in Rishon Letzion saw the first rehearsal Wednesday for the opening ceremony, which will be held at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan. The opening ceremony will be attended by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ceremony will begin with 200 cyclists entering the arena and performing exercises and tricks. Thereafter, the 7,000 participants in the Maccabiah will march into the stadium behind their respective national flags, thereby becoming part of the opening ceremony. Among the artists slated to perform at the opening ceremony are Shiri Maimon and Avraham Tal - two of the most popular singers in Israel today. Preparations for the ceremony will also get underway at the National Stadium in the coming days.

The opening ceremony will be televised live on Channel 1 and on the Internet, and - for the first time - an American television channel will also broadcast selected events. Jewish Life Television, which purchased the broadcast rights to the games, will show selected events in North America, Europe and the Middle East.

Sir Bobby's new beatIn other Maccabiah news, Maccabi GB and UJIA announced Wednesday that soccer legend Sir Bobby Charlton will be the special guest of Team GB at this summer's games.

Sir Bobby, who won the World Cup with England in 1966, will be traveling to Israel with his wife, Lady Norma.

During his time in Israel, Sir Bobby will attend a number of Maccabiah events. This special visit to the Maccabiah will culminate with Sir Bobby leading Team GB into the Ramat Gan Stadium.

Sir Bobby is also in Israel as part of his involvement with the British Council's Football 4 Peace project.

"As the third largest sporting event in the world, the Maccabiah Games has been something I have long been aware of," Sir Bobby told the official Maccabiah Internet site yesterday. "To be asked to lead the British delegation into the Ramat Gan Stadium in front of 40,000 spectators is an honor and one that I am looking forward to immensely. I am also extremely proud to be in Israel, not only taking part in the Maccabiah Games, but also helping to unite Arab and Jewish communities in Israel through football."