Yael Arad (; born 1 May 1967) is an Israeli

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. She was the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in 1992. She is widely recognized as one of Israel's most successful athletes and is credited with bringing

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

into the athletic mainstream. After her retirement, Arad developed a career as a businesswoman and CEO. She specializes in entrepreneurship, business development and marketing strategy. She manages the commercial rights of

ViacomCBS Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...

in Israel. Arad advises companies in various sectors and lectures on excellence in sports, life and business.In 2023, Arad became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC).

Biography

Arad, who is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, Israel, to Aryeh Arad, a journalist in

Davar ''Davar'' (, lit. ''Speech, Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. A similarly named website was launched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an ...

, Galei Tzahal & Kol Yisrael, and Nurit Arad, a journalist in

Yedioth Ahronoth (, ; lit. "Latest News") is an Israeli daily mass market newspaper published in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1939, is Israel's largest paid newspaper by sales and circulation and has been described as "undoubtedly the country's number-one paper."

reporting in the field of consumerism. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from

Reichman University Reichman University () is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC Herzliya, ) private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives n ...

International judo career

Arad started taking judo classes at the age of eight and within half a year, ranked second in Israel in her weight class. She later trained with the coach of the men's judo team. She won her first international title in 1984 at the age of 17, competing as a middleweight. She came in 7th in the 1984 World Championships in Vienna. She won bronze medals in the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

and

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. To hone her skills, she underwent training in Japan. Arad was the first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal when she represented Israel at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She won the silver medal in the women's half middleweight competition. She lost to Catherine Fleury of France. Arad dedicated the medal to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre. In May 1993, Arad won a gold medal in the 1993 European Championships. In the 1993 World Championships, she lost in the finals to Gella Vandecaveye of Belgium, taking home a silver medal. Arad was chosen to light the torch at the 1993 Maccabiah Games. She finished in fifth place at the 1995 World Championships. At the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, Arad lost to Jung Sung-sook of Korea, competing for the bronze. She went into the fight sick with a virus and ended up in fifth place. Arad served as judo coach for Israel in the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, and coached Israeli judoka Olympian Orit Bar-On.

Retirement

After retiring from the sport, Arad continued with judo as a coach and sports entrepreneur. Today she holds a key management position in a children's product company and serves as a TV commentator at judo competitions.

Olympic Movement

Since 2012, Arad is a member of the Marketing Commission and the Digital & Technology Commission at the

. In 2013, she became a board member of the

Olympic Committee of Israel The Olympic Committee of Israel (, ) is the recognized National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Israel, and the governing body of Olympic sports in Israel. The OCI's headquarters is located at the National Sport Center – Tel Aviv. History In ...

and Chairwomen of its Sports Commission. In 2021, she was appointed to President of the Olympic Committee of Israel making her the first woman and first Olympic medalist to hold the position. She became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2023.

Personal life

Arad was married to Lior Kahane (son of Israeli basketball coach Rani Kahane) and she has two children.

Her book

Arad's autobiography called ''First'' (Rishona in Hebrew) was released in 2018.

Awards and honors

Arad has won 24 medals during her sporting career in Level A tournaments, including 7 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 9 bronze medals. In 2004, Arad was chosen to be one of the torchbearers at the

Torch-lighting Ceremony (Israel) Torch-lighting ceremony () is the official ceremony that marks the closure of the Yom Hazikaron commemorations and the opening of the Independence Day (Israel), Independence Day celebrations in Israel. The Ceremony is held annually at the burial ...

Mount Herzl Mount Herzl ( ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside the Jerusalem Forest. I ...

. In 2018, Arad was awarded the title to "The Athlete of 70'" from the Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel), marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arad, Yael 1967 births Living people Jewish Israeli sportspeople Olympic silver medalists for Israel Israeli female judoka Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic judoka for Israel Sportspeople from Tel Aviv Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent Olympic medalists in judo International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees Judoka trainers Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Israeli International Olympic Committee members