Michal Kafri-Yardeni, the chairperson of the Athena national council for promoting women’s sport in Israel, insisted that I didn’t cut her saying “sport in Israel is tremendously chauvinistic.” So I didn’t.

Host Laragh Widdess met Michal and her team at “Holchot Rachok,” Athena’s annual event in Tel Aviv – the largest women’s sports event in Israel with over 10,000 participants. It’s supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, so Laragh also spoke with the director of the Israeli Sport Authority. They discussed what obstacles girls in Israel face getting into and staying into sports.

Meet the girls and women, young and old, who came from all corners of the country to participate; a Bedouin women’s walking club, a mothers’ “catchball” team, a teen Taekwando group, and Israel’s national under-16 basketball players.

Music:

Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over (Instrumental)
Abdallah, Hemeid – Music Of The South Sinai Bedouins
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out

Written and produced by Laragh Widdess