For the first time since the 1976 Olympics and for the third time in history, the Israeli junior soccer team is participating in the Olympics held in Paris.
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Dr. Lior Labar
(Photo: Football Association Media)
The team will be accompanied by Dr. Lior Labar, an orthopedist specializing in sports injuries and the director of the service for arthroscopies and sports injuries at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, who also serves as the head doctor of the soccer association and the doctor of the Olympic team.
Dr. Leber is a former professional athlete (handball), who played for the Israeli national team for years.
He is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. After completing his residency in orthopedics, he underwent a sub-specialty in sports medicine with the Barcelona soccer team’s orthopedist. Later he did a subspecialty in sports medicine at Duke University in the USA, specialized and later worked as a senior doctor in one of the world’s leading and most advanced centers for the preservation of the knee and hip joint in England, worked and was paid in sports teams in the leading clubs in Israel and in the world. Dr. Labar has extensive experience working with sports teams and has previously served As a doctor for Maccabi Tel Aviv in soccer, Bnei Herzliya in basketball, the Israeli national volleyball team and of course, the Israeli national handball team. Among other things, Dr. Labar leads the medical platform in the European Handball Association and serves as a member of the senior committee of the European Orthopedic Sports Medicine Association.
Before going to the Olympics, Dr. Labar said: “The whole team and the team arrive with great excitement for the Olympic Games. It is an extraordinary experience that takes on a special meaning, especially these days and following the year we have passed. The players went through a thorough preparation period, are in excellent shape, and are already looking forward to getting on the field and bringing a lot of pride to an entire country. We have an excellent medical team, but let’s hope we remain unemployed…”.
How do you see this experience as a former athlete and player and what advantages does your sporting past add to the role?
“There is no doubt that my past as an athlete gives me a unique perspective and allows me to look at and analyze many situations, not only from the point of view of a doctor/therapist, but also from the point of view of an athlete. Sports medicine is not ordinary medicine and the considerations in making decisions are complex and are not always purely “medical”, but It often involves taking calculated risks in order to train a player to play one important game or another. It is important to speak to players and coaches in their language, and these are undoubtedly tools that I received in my days as an athlete and often help me in communicating with players and coaches,” notes Dr. Labar.
How special is it to represent Israel in a big event like the Olympics?
“As an athlete, you always strive to reach the biggest stages and this is something that accompanies me even in my professional life to this day. I have won many titles, championships and cups as an athlete, but wearing the national team’s uniform has always been a unique and unique experience. I played for the Israeli national team for 13 years and was privileged to take part In the greatest achievement of Israeli handball at the national team level – to play in the European Championship in 2002. Today, every time I wear the uniform of the Israeli national team, I still have the special feeling and chills in my body with the playing of the national anthem. The Olympics is an event The biggest sport in the world and the dream of every child who dreams of being an athlete is to take part in the Olympics.
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The picture of the team
(Photo: Olympic Committee Media)
In your opinion, does the security/political situation have any effect on participation in the Olympics?
There is no doubt that the current situation has a tremendous impact and gives extraordinary motivation. There is a sense of national responsibility, a desire to bring pride, to make happy, while at the same time constantly remembering the kidnapped, the families, the fighters and the wounded – they are the real heroes and they all serve as a special and moving inspiration.
Apart from the Olympic team, in recent years a special relationship has been built between the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and the Academy of the Football Association, which was established about 3 years ago in the entrances of Yam Makhmorut.
“This is a special and important project of the association for football, which is actually the flagship project of the association,” says Dr. Lebar. Naturally, due to the geographical proximity of the academy to the medical center, a collaboration was established between Hillel Yaffe and the orthopedic department and the academy.” Dr. Labar serves as the chief physician of the academy, and experienced doctors and specialists from the orthopedic department have been integrated into the medical system of the academy and of various national teams. A number of academy players who have suffered complex injuries in recent years, were operated on by Dr. Labar and returned to play. “We hope that the future generation that grows up in the association’s academy will make sure that the current Olympics will not be the last and that we will not have to wait another 48 years until the next Olympics, but will succeed in creating continuity and consistency. It will definitely be exciting to participate in another Olympics with players who grew and developed with us at the academy.”
