WIZO Hadassim Launches New Competitive Sports Academy

As the 2024–2025 school year begins, WIZO Hadassim Youth Village is celebrating not only being named among Israel’s outstanding schools, but also the launch of a groundbreaking new initiative: the WIZO Competitive Sports Academy.

The academy will serve as a national center of excellence, combining high-level competitive sports training with quality education and WIZO’s core values of leadership, commitment, and perseverance. It is the second academy of its kind in WIZO, following the successful model launched at WIZO Nahalal two years ago.

The Next Generation of Sports Stars

According to Gadi Yaakov, Head of WIZO’s Education Division and the visionary behind the academy:

“We see sports as a powerful educational tool to develop essential life skills such as persistence, teamwork, resilience, leadership, and commitment to excellence. Our mission is to help students discover and realize their full potential—not only academically, but socially and personally as well.”

The academy will attract young athletes from across Israel and abroad (grades 7–12), offering an intensive daily training schedule alongside strong academics and mentorship from leading Israeli sports professionals.

Areas of Focus

WIZO Hadassim’s Competitive Sports Academy will focus on five key disciplines:

• Boys’ Football – in partnership with Beitar Tubruk Football Club, with top-tier professional coaching.
• Girls’ Football – developing the sport competitively and experientially.
• Archery – in collaboration with the Israel Archery Association, offering advanced training in this Olympic discipline.
• Cycling – competitive and social mountain biking in Israel and internationally, with the Bartali Foundation.
• Running and Track & Field – specializing in middle- and long-distance races, taking advantage of the natural terrain surrounding the youth village.

Eli Batzalel, Director of WIZO Hadassim Youth Village, emphasized:

“Sports is not only about achievements and medals—it’s a way of life. It teaches discipline, focus, persistence, and instills self-confidence and belonging. What our student-athletes learn on the field will accompany them throughout their lives, long after the final whistle.”

A Tradition of Excellence

Founded in 1947, WIZO Hadassim is home to about 1,350 students, including 300 boarding students—half of them young immigrants from around the world, many through the Na’aleh program. As a multicultural community, the youth village combines academic excellence with diverse educational tracks in the arts, sciences, sustainability, diplomacy, and now—competitive sports