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Israel’s Canadian-Funded Rinks

Canada Centre Brings Skating and Controversy to Metulla, Israel

Oct 16, 2006

Figure skating, speed skating and hockey may be scarce in the Middle East, but area residents find them in Metulla, an oasis of ice in Northern Israel.

The Toronto Star reported in August about an ice rink in Israel that is bringing relief from extreme temperatures and war.

The sports center in Metulla, Israel, reopened to figure skaters in a region where temperatures consistently reach over 100 degrees. The ice rink is on the border between Lebanon and Israel. The children of the region have had to deal with the threat of machine guns and bombs - in addition to the summer heat. Still, the Canada Centre remains on of Israel's major tourist attractions. It overlooks the Galilee, and, in addition to ice skating, offers swimming (with a water slide, saunas and jacuzzis), bowling, tennis, basketball, soccer. There is also a rifle range and gun shop.

Israel's second-largest ice surface is about half the size of a regular hockey rink. It is second only to the Olympic-sized rink - both donated by Canada's Jewish community. For 21 years now they have been funding the development of the sports facility.

Unfortunately, concussion blasts from cannons during Israeli fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas have left the roof of the larger rink badly damaged and opened only sporadically. The sports complex was also used as a temporary barracks for around 600 soldiers during the war.

Since the cease-fire, sporadic fighting still plagues the area. As much as possible, residents don't let it deter them from enjoying their sports-recreation. After all, the Canada Centre is the only place in the nation to play hockey.

Despite meager opportunities for training, Israel has managed to turn out a handful of world-class skaters, like 2002 World ice dancing bronze medalists Galit Chait and her Russian-born partner Sergei Sakhnovski. Also known on the international circuits are short-track speed skaters Sergei Katsov and Olga Danilov, and figure skaters Alexei Beletski and Natalia Gudina.

Because of this summer's fighting, Israel's sports federation had to send its athletes to training camps in other parts of the world. Seven figure skaters and seven short track speed skaters trained in Slovakia this summer on the federation's dime.

Boris Chait, the chairman of the IISF, told The Jerusalem Post: "We contend that the management and the directorate of the Canada Center have been irresponsible since the end of the war over the failure in re-opening both the heated pool and in particular the Olympic-sized rink." The manager of the Centre, Shmulik Ben-Shachar was reported as saying that they don't have the funds to reopen the large, regular-sized rink.

The inscription on the entrance to the complex states: "Canada Centre is a partnership between the people of Israel and the Jewish community of Canada." Critics of the partnership worry that Canada has certain political objectives in funding the operation. Speculative conversations have brought up embassy movements and strategic strongholds as possible underlying motives.

Fueling the conjecture is Peace Now, who reported 31 Israeli outposts were built without government authorization -- expanded this summer while Israeli authorities were focused on the Hezbollah war. According to the Canadian Jewish News, the charges were denied by the Yesha Council. Still, critics wonder if there might be a connection between the sports complex and the allegations. Those involved with funding the Canada Centre consider those thoughts extremist and unfounded.

The official site of Israel's hockey team lists Canadian and Israeli contacts - which are actually the same email addresses. There were also specific recruiting efforts in Canada for Israel's national hockey team, with tryouts held in Ontario in June of 2006.

Canadians have a connection with Israel that goes beyond ice skating. Confounding speculations is a recent $18.5 million dollar donation to Israel's Institute of Technology by a Canadian contributor, for example.

JewishSports.com reports that Jews are very influential in the sports world as owners of major professional sports franchises. Perhaps the Canada Centre is a natural extension of trend that is not at all unique.

While the fate of the Olympic-sized rink in Metulla is uncertain, the Israeli National Figure Skating Championships are still slated to take place at the Canada Centre. Also, ISU-sanctioned Skate Israel is scheduled for December 19-22, 2006.

The copyright of the article Israel’s Canadian-Funded Rinks in Figure/Speed Skating is owned by Timbre Beck-Murphy. Permission to republish Israel’s Canadian-Funded Rinks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.