Zvi Vershaviak: Sports delegations that represent the country participate in international events as emissaries of the state.
The dispute over security funding for Israel's sports delegations to overseas events continues to roil the heads of the country's sports organizations. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Culture and Sport Limor Livnat Israel Olympic Committee president Zvi Vershaviak asked the government to assume the cost of security, instead of the sports organizations.
Vershaviak wrote, "Sports delegations that represent the country participate in international events as emissaries of the state. It is the job of the state to protect its citizens, and it is unimaginable that the sports organizations bear these costs. This is a major burden on the organizations, some of which have already announced that they will be forced to forego participation in international competitions. If the organizations stop participating in competitions, we'll be expelled from Europe."
Security for sports delegations costs between NIS 3 million and NIS 5 million a year depending on the number of international competitions.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 21, 2009
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