Israel Swimming Association

The Israel Swimming Association operates as a registered association and is the nationally recognized body responsible for coordinating, promoting, and leading competitive aquatics in Israel.[1] Its supreme institution is a general assembly composed of representatives of member clubs; an executive board sets policy, approves work plans and the budget, and supervises the association's activities; and a chief executive officer manages day-to-day operations and implements board decisions.[2] Standing committees cover finance, professional development, artistic swimming, open-water swimming, masters swimming, judging, and auditing.[1]

The association's responsibilities span setting professional policy; managing Israeli championships and national competitions; establishing and operating Israel national teams; registering clubs and swimmers; training coaches, judges, and officials; and preparing delegations for European and world championships and multisport games.[2] Routine training is conducted mainly through member clubs, while national-level activity is coordinated centrally.[2] As of 2025, the association employed approximately 34 permanent staff and officeholders, supplemented by dozens of volunteers including judges, competition organizers, medical personnel, and production workers.[2]

The association's stated vision is to serve as a model for sports culture in Israel, lead educational and values-based change, and pursue excellence and sportsmanship. Its listed core values are sportsmanship, mutual respect, determination, leadership, and excellence.[1] The association also describes itself as holding broad social and community responsibility.[1]

Government support forms one pillar of the association's income. In 2017, Israel's Sports Administration recorded an annual support payment of 209,631 shekels to the association and a separate Olympic-preparations payment of 1,267,629 shekels.[4] Its 2025 annual report listed a total turnover of 12,784,398 shekels, expenses of 12,429,426 shekels, and a surplus of 354,972 shekels for the year, with funding drawn from public support, activity revenues, membership fees, donations, sponsorships, and other lawful sources.[2]

Private philanthropy has also played a significant role. In 2017, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Alex Blavatnik, and the Clal Industries Group announced a grant of more than $1 million to the association.[5] The grant was described as part of a multi-year plan to support Israel's national swimming teams, promote excellence and professionalism, strengthen Israeli pride, and pursue the goal of making Israel an international swimming power. Alex Blavatnik was to serve as honorary president of the association and is listed in that role on its website.[5][1]

The association fields national teams in pool swimming, artistic swimming, and open-water swimming.[2] A professional program presented in 2025 proposed dividing leading pool swimmers among three national-team squads, with almost 30 swimmers overall and 12 in Squad A. Squad A members could receive association funding of up to $1,200 for one qualifying competition in the United States per year; Squad B members could attend two overseas competitions annually and train at the association's center; and Squad C members could train at the Center of Excellence. Entry would be based on advance, measurable results criteria, with Olympic A-standard qualification as the principal benchmark. Because the program had not yet received final executive-board approval and was also to be reviewed with coaches and clubs, its details remained provisional.[6]

The proposed three-year plan for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was developed under then-chair Adi Bichman, national-team coach Leonid Kaufman, professional director Yaakov Tomarkin, and the association's professional staff.[6] It called for three major annual competitive peaks, completion of target competitions by June 2028, winter Olympic qualifying events in Israel, and an Israeli long-course championship in December 2027 to provide an additional Olympic-qualification opportunity.[6] It also proposed separating adult and youth Israeli championships beginning in 2025, partly because leading senior swimmers had largely missed the 2024 long-course championship, which overlapped almost directly with the Paris Olympic Games.[6] The plan further sought to expand open-water swimming from a single national competition per year into a full series.[6]

In December 2024, the association appointed Dr. Leonid Kaufman as national swimming-team coach. Kaufman had previously led Israel's national team from 1994 to 2016, including ten years as head coach, participated in the coaching staff at five Olympic Games, developed twenty Olympic swimmers, and was involved in three Israeli Olympic finals appearances.[7] Liat Weissbuch was simultaneously appointed chief executive officer.[7]

The association's successful organization of major international competitions has defined much of its modern history. Its first large-scale test came with the 2015 European Short Course Swimming Championships, held at the Wingate Institute from December 2 to 6, 2015. The event brought approximately 600 swimmers from 48 countries to Netanya, along with 250 team officials, around 120 European media personnel, 50 Israeli journalists and photographers, and 400 volunteers.[8] The competition made use of a newly built aquatic complex containing an Olympic-size ten-lane pool, an eight-lane 50-meter pool, and a six-lane 25-meter pool, with the main pool able to accommodate more than 3,000 spectators.[9] The total budget was approximately 11 million shekels, including 3 million from the Ministry of Culture and Sport, 1.2 million from the association itself, and additional contributions from the Tourism Ministry, Toto, and commercial revenues.[8]

Association president Noam Zwi described hosting the championships as comparable to hosting the Olympics, given the international exposure it would bring to Netanya and Israel.[9] LEN President Paolo Barelli noted that the Israeli federation had already demonstrated organizational capability through major open-water events in Eilat and had now entered the group capable of staging premier swimming showcases.[9] Israel finished the championships with three medals: Yakov Toumarkin claimed silver in the 200-meter backstroke and silver in the 100-meter individual medley — setting an Israeli record of 52.62 seconds in the latter — while Gal Nevo took bronze in the 400-meter individual medley. Barelli called the championships one of the greatest and best editions in the event's history.[10]

The association subsequently hosted the 2017 European Junior Championships and went on to organize the 2023 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships at the Wingate Institute from September 4 to 9, 2023.[3] More than 600 swimmers from approximately 120 countries were expected to attend. Ranked as the third most important competition in World Aquatics' hierarchy and the second most significant federation event of 2023, it was the first world swimming championship ever staged in Israel.[3]

Adi Bichman, a former Olympic swimmer with experience in elite-sports administration, was elected chair of the association for a four-year term at a general assembly held at the Wingate Institute on September 3, 2024, having previously served as acting chair following the tenure of Miki Halika.[11] She had also coached competitive teams, served on the Israel Olympic Committee's executive board, and chaired its professional committee during the Paris 2024 cycle.[12] On assuming the role, she stated her intention to pursue transparency, proper administration, and close engagement with coaches, employees, and athletes.[11]

The Israel Olympic Committee announced Bichman's selection as chief executive officer on November 30, 2025.[12] She formally resigned from the swimming association on January 8, 2026, and the executive board unanimously selected attorney Hagai Ashlagi as acting chair that day.[13] Ashlagi had served approximately one year on the executive board, was an active masters swimmer, and had experience initiating and promoting competitions. The report described his appointment as following a period of administrative and professional stabilization under Bichman and CEO Weissbuch.[13]

The association's transfer regulations, as described in a Knesset Research and Information Center document, allow a swimmer whose club refuses a transfer to notify the association during the transfer window and move to another club one year after submitting the required documents. During the transition period, the swimmer may train elsewhere but must continue representing the original club in competitions; if the original club refuses to register the swimmer, the athlete may compete without a club identity. The regulations contained no provision for payment or compensation to the original club.[14]

The association has faced several notable internal disputes. In 2011, a committee appointed by Sports Minister Limor Livnat investigated why swimmer Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or had not been selected for the 2010 European Championships. The committee's reported findings suggested the possible discrimination was connected to Shapira Bar-Or's affiliation with the Jerusalem Rabati club while association leadership was identified with Hapoel Jerusalem, becoming a source of conflict among association officials, coaches, and clubs.[15]

In 2012, the father of swimmer Jowan Qupty alleged that the association had excluded his son from Israel's 4x100-meter medley relay for the European Championships on account of his Arab background. Reports noted that Qupty's 100-meter breaststroke result was superior to that of the swimmer selected for the relay, though neither had qualified individually for the 100-meter event. Association officials denied any discrimination.[16]

The association also passed through a serious financial governance crisis. In January 2024, its general assembly rejected approval of the 2022 financial statements by two votes, placing the association at risk of losing its certificate of proper management and threatening to cut off public funding. The association reported that non-approval would cause an immediate loss of 1.5 million shekels, and it also carried a substantial debt to the Wingate Institute accumulated during the COVID-19 period.[17] A state fine of approximately 1.7 million shekels was subsequently imposed because the statements were not approved on time, and the association came close to ceasing operations. By June 2025, the 2024 financial statements were approved and the fine was being repaid through deductions from Ministry of Culture and Sport support advances of approximately 340,000 shekels at a time.[18]