Israel’s First Olympic Bobsled Team Faces Challenges Before Competing

The news was hard for AJ Edelman to process. He leads the first Israeli bobsled team to ever qualify for the Olympics, and just days before they were to compete, they faced burglary and vandalism. At the time Edelman was in Venice, Italy, and he received shocking text messages from his teammates who were in Prague.

It was messages that I didn’t understand, it’s something that I couldn’t conceive of. They were like, ‘hey the place is turned over. Someone showered and stole our stuff,’ and I was like, ‘What that doesn’t make sense.’ I thought it was a joke at first, Edelman expressed to Fox News Digital.

The team went through the entire protocol of legal measures, including fingerprinting due to the serious nature of the break-in. However, Edelman and his team managed to stay resilient. They realized that such adversities were part of their journey.

It was just another Tuesday for us, Edelman remarked. He emphasized the importance of progress, Every single step of the journey is another step toward the goal. And we haven’t reached the goal yet. The goal is never qualification, the goal is to compete at the Olympic Games.

Despite feeling that the incident was a personal violation, Edelman urged his team to keep moving forward. He believed it was a targeted act but chose to focus on their end goal. The team had narrowly missed competing in the Beijing 2022 Olympics by 0.01 second, making this opportunity all the more significant.

After the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, some team members were called to serve in the military. Edelman had been sacrificing a lot, living below the poverty line to sustain his leadership over the last 12 years. An MIT graduate, he had to sell his bitcoin, which would be worth millions today if he had kept them.

The challenges continued as Members of the Israeli bobsledding team, like Edelman, faced discrimination and prejudice. They were denied accommodations in Germany on Christmas Eve for being Jewish, and an athlete insulted their nation.

Nonetheless, Edelman maintains a positive outlook. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into representing Israel. But the great thing about representing Israel, and I think this is super important, is you learn to take a mindset that is one of a victor not a victim, he shared, emphasizing their mission’s righteousness.

Edelman extended empathy towards those who burglarized their property, It’s pretty sad. I’m not in their shoes… I hope you get better. I really hope that your life turns around, expressing hope for the perpetrators’ improvement and understanding.

The team, playfully named Shul Runnings as a nod to the film Cool Runnings, is set to inspire young Israelis dreaming of improbable achievements. Although the likelihood of an Olympic bobsled team for Israel was previously slim due to resource constraints, their determination is admirable.

Keeping realistic expectations, Edelman hopes to place in the top 20, setting a precedent and motivating future generations of Israelis interested in winter sports. One thing I try to tell my boys is that in a couple of weeks, no one is going to remember our names… But they’re going to remember that the Israeli bobsled team made it, and it’s going to have ripple effects far beyond, said Edelman, acknowledging the long-lasting impact beyond their personal achievements.

As Edelman prepares to retire after these games, he remains confident that their legacy will endure, and the groundbreaking steps they have taken will positively influence Israel’s presence in winter sports.