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Cameras constantly flashed from the stands on that warm, humid night in Jerusalem. My 300 other countrymen and I strolled along, waving our white straw mounty hats and sweating in our red-and-white warm-up suits as the announcer enthusiastically stated some interesting facts about Canada and our delegation.

While not nervous but with a racing heart, we were probably taking just as many pictures as the spectators as we walked. We were marching out for opening ceremonies in front of thousands of spectators for the games of the 16th Maccabiah.

Billed as the Jewish Olympics, the Maccabi games have been bringing together Jews from all over the world to promote good sportsmanship and community.

It is an Olympic-style sporting event held every four years in Israel which occasionally features some of the world’s best athletes, such as Mark Spitz, a swimmer who won seven Olympic gold medals. Only three years ago, Lenny Krayzelburg, who won three gold medals in Sydney competed against yours truly.

The goal of the games is to use sport to unite people.

This year for the first time, the games arrived at the University of Denver and opened up to any group on campus willing to participate. Obviously competitors do not have to practice a particular religion because just the opposite was the goal of these games. They allowed different groups to unite through sport and have a good time.

The games “represent a spirit of community, diversity and sportsmanship,” said Leo Simonovich, president of United for Israel, the group which put on the event. “We wanted to bring those values to the DU campus.”

The games began in traditional fashion with opening ceremonies where the national anthems of the United States and Israel were sung, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League spoke and Jonathon Adelman, an International Studies professor officially opened the games.

Due to poor weather the past two Fridays, the games were moved to Hamilton Gymnasium where teams were formed for playing kick-ball, dodge ball and a few other sports not always associated with the Olympics.

United for Israel designed the event for teams to sign up and compete as a team, but due to the weather and not as many people attending, make-shift teams were formed. Despite this, it is being reported that the team from Chi Phi won the games.

Competitors enthusiastically took their places at the bases or on the line after the games were declared open and the games began.

The event gave many students the chance to experience a taste of Israeli culture and launch a Nerf ball at an opponent. The games managed to bring various groups from Campus Crusade to fraternities together through sport to promote diversity.

The group hopes to make this an annual event where even more groups will attend to further promote diversity and community.