March 12, 2013

(JTA) — Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will compete at the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer.

Maccabiah organizers made the announcement Monday. The games chairman, Amir Pered, told journalists that Raisman will be honored during the opening ceremony.

“We are very happy that an athlete like Aly Raisman, who is at the top of her game, will be coming to take part,” Pered said, according to Haaretz.

Raisman, who recently made headlines for joining the cast of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” helped lead the U.S. women’s team to the overall gold medal at the London Games last summer.

Often referred to as the Jewish Olympics, the Maccabiah Games are held every four years. Jewish athletes from all over the world compete in 42 sporting categories.

This year’s games, which will take place July 17-30, is the largest in Maccabiah history, with some 8,600 athletes competing from 72 countries.

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