Simon Davidson

Davidson was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1970, immigrated to Israel at the age of two, and lives in Netanya.[1] He served in the Israeli Air Force and subsequently studied at the Wingate Institute before embarking on a career as a swimming coach.[1]

As a teenager, Davidson joined Hapoel Netanya's swimming club and won several championships.[1] He went on to coach Israel's national teams from cadet through senior levels, and also coached at Hapoel Netanya and Bnei Herzliya.[1][2] In 2006 he founded Dolphin Netanya and later won an Israeli championship with Hapoel Dolphin Netanya.[1][2] By the time of his election as chairman of the Israel Swimming Association in 2016, Dolphin Netanya had approximately 700 active swimmers, with Olympic swimmer Zohar Shikler and national-record holder Keren Zibner among its prominent athletes.[2] When a national coaches program was announced, Davidson said he had coached swimming for 25 years.[3]

Davidson was elected chairman of the Israel Swimming Association in 2016 and re-elected to a second term in 2020.[4] He also served as a member of the Olympic Committee of Israel.[5]

A central initiative of his tenure was opening Israeli swimming to international influence. Responding to disappointing results at the Rio 2016 Olympics, Davidson sought to "leave the bubble" by recruiting foreign expertise.[6] His plan to bring in American coach David Marsh met resistance from clubs, Israeli coaches, and some association management members, but received support from Olympic Committee CEO Gili Lustig and Swimming Association CEO Amir Tito.[6] Davidson also credited the arrival of coaches versed in Russian training methods—a legacy of the large immigration wave from the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s—as a further factor in the sport's development.[7]

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, nearly all Israeli swimmers set personal or national records, while Israel's mixed relay reached the final and finished ahead of several established swimming nations.[6] During Davidson's tenure, the association also brought in Anna Torres for artistic swimming, and he praised the resulting performances.[4] He left the association chairmanship upon entering the Knesset; in August 2021, former swimmer Miki Halika was appointed acting chairman.[4]

Davidson entered the 24th Knesset as a Yesh Atid member under the Norwegian Law, replacing Deputy Minister Idan Roll.[1] During that Knesset, he served on the Education Committee and the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and chaired the Knesset Sports Caucus.[1] By November 2025, he headed the Subcommittee on Sports Budgets.[5] He has also headed the Israel-Lithuania Parliamentary friendship group.[8]

As chair of the Sports Caucus, Davidson secured a 5-million-shekel program to strengthen the professional status of coaches, with priority given to women and coaches from Arab society; approximately 1,000 coaches were expected to benefit over two years.[3] He also sponsored legislation requiring Israeli national sports teams to wear the Israeli flag on their uniforms, a bill that passed its first Knesset reading in January 2025 and addressed the absence of flag emblems from official team kit used in international competition.[9] Additional bills he submitted include proposals to abolish tax on grants to Olympic athletes and to set a uniform ticket price for league games.[1]

Davidson has argued that Israel underfunds sport. In a 2024 interview, he said Israel allocated 0.15% of the state budget to sports, compared with 1% in Greece, 2% in France, and 3% in Germany. He contended that inadequate funding and facilities mean that excelling in sport in Israel requires a family with financial means.[7]

Davidson also led a Knesset delegation to Lithuania, meeting Lithuanian counterparts and members of the Jewish communities in Vilnius and Kaunas, which he described as "a powerful and emotional experience."[8] For the 26th Knesset election, he is listed in 27th place on B’Yachad's candidate list.[10]

A recurring theme of Davidson's Knesset activity has been using sport as a vehicle for inclusion and recovery. He described his approach as "using sport as a tool to help people from darkness to light."[11] He organized a Knesset event on sport for people with disabilities that attracted 500 attendees and numerous lawmakers, and brought amputees—including injured IDF soldiers who play soccer on crutches—to the Knesset for a match against members of parliament.[11]

Davidson also assisted in the effort to have Special Olympics Israel recognized as an official sports federation, work that began under then-culture minister Chili Tropper and was finalized in 2023 by Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar.[12]

During the war, Davidson initiated sports infrastructure projects for displaced communities. He worked to build a soccer field and basketball court for evacuees in the Dead Sea area and arranged surfing and kayaking activities for children in Tiberias, connecting the activities with helping children process trauma experienced over the preceding two years.[11] He has also highlighted an accessible beach in Herzliya equipped with special guides for visitors with disabilities.[11]

Davidson has called for a major reform to expand children's participation in sports, particularly in peripheral communities, linking participation with better health and reductions in drugs, crime, and violence. He has described international sport as a tool of public diplomacy, arguing that athletes who represent Israel respectfully can enhance the country's standing.[5]

Davidson is married with three children and lives in Netanya.[1] His mother, Paulina Davidson, is a Holocaust survivor; she lit one of the memorial torches at the Knesset's 2023 "Every Person Has a Name" Holocaust memorial ceremony.[13]

A Maariv report raised questions about possible conflicts of interest arising from Davidson's sports-related parliamentary activity and his wife's ownership of a country club.[14] Davidson denied wrongdoing, stating that he had consulted Knesset legal advisers from his first week in office, disclosed relevant interests, transferred businesses into his wife's name, did not act as a company director or decision-maker, and had abstained from voting on a provision concerning swimming pools due to his past connections with the sport.[14]