{"id":619303,"date":"2026-09-17T21:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T21:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/619303\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T21:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T21:24:09","slug":"next-generation-of-israeli-wheelchair-athletes-may-emerge-from-wounded-of-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/619303\/","title":{"rendered":"Next generation of Israeli wheelchair athletes may emerge from wounded of war"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Guy Sasson<\/a> and Sergei Lysov rolled onto the tennis courts at the recently completed US Open, they represented the \u201cold\u201d and newer generations of Israeli wheelchair tennis players.<\/p>\n

Sasson, 46, has enjoyed a highly successful career competing in the quads division. He won all four Grand Slam<\/a> doubles tournaments this year and would have completed a calendar-year Grand Slam had he also won the US Open.<\/p>\n

Lysov, 22, is an up-and-coming player who competed at the US Open last year and again this year. He won the 2024 Israeli National Wheelchair Tennis Championship and represented Israel at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.<\/p>\n

And several other young Israeli wheelchair<\/a> tennis players are coming through the ranks.<\/p>\n

But with the rise in the number of young, otherwise healthy Israelis who have suffered life-changing injuries in the country\u2019s recent wars, an important question is emerging: Will more newly disabled Israelis discover wheelchair tennis and other wheelchair sports, and could some eventually reach the elite levels achieved by Sasson?<\/p>\n

\"ParisParis 2024 Paralympics – Wheelchair Tennis – Men’s Quad Singles Bronze Medal Match – Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France – September 5, 2024 Guy Sasson of Israel celebrates with flag after winning bronze. (credit: REUTERS\/GONZALO FUENTES)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is too soon to know \u2013 the journey from injury to active sport to competitive sports is a long journey,\u201d says Boaz Kramer, executive director of the Israel ParaSport Center in Ramat Gan and himself a wheelchair user, two-time Paralympian and silver medalist in quad wheelchair tennis at the 2008 Beijing Games.<\/p>\n

Still, the numbers suggest more people could participate in wheelchair sports.<\/p>\n

Defense Ministry: Over 26,000 war-wounded soldiers sought treatment since start of Gaza war<\/p>\n

In July 2026, the Rehabilitation Division at the Defense Ministry reported that approximately 26,200 war-wounded men and women had sought treatment since the war began. It is estimated that there have been 97 amputations<\/a> since the start of the war.<\/p>\n

Some of those injured may discover the world of wheelchair sports and even reach elite levels like Sasson.<\/p>\n

Kramer would like to see injured people consider participating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a big believer in sports as a rehabilitation tool,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But Kramer also points to an interesting, and perhaps somewhat worrisome, trend: wheelchair sports are becoming \u201cmore and more competitive,\u201d something he considers a mixed blessing.<\/p>\n

On one hand, Kramer is pleased with how far the sport has come.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, wheelchair athletes are receiving the recognition, compensation and attention they deserve,\u201d he says. \u201cParalympic sport is becoming more visible, more attractive and more commercially viable. Athletes are becoming professionals, events are attracting spectators, media are paying attention, fans are following teams and players. After decades of fighting for legitimacy, perhaps Paralympic sport is finally getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he also sees a downside.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this slow and steady metamorphosis comes with a cost,\u201d Kramer says. \u201cAnd it raises an important question that has been sitting at the heart of Paralympic sport since its beginning: What is the purpose of Paralympic sport? The competition? The participation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kramer worries that too much focus has gone to competition and that the sport may have \u201cgradually transformed into an elite sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt rewards talent, it rewards training, it rewards professional support, money, time, access to facilities, coaching, technology and sophisticated sports science,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhile doing that, it also inevitably leaves people behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo maybe the future of Paralympic sport is not about choosing between participation and excellence. Maybe it is about building a system in which excellence sits at the top without swallowing everything underneath it. While celebrating the jaw-dropping performance of the elite Paralympic sports, we must make sure we never forget why it exists in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kramer, born with arthrogryposis, came to Israel at five years old<\/p>\n

Kramer was born with arthrogryposis, a condition characterized by stiff, curved, or locked joints. He came to the Israel ParaSport Center at five and played a variety of wheelchair sports before eventually focusing on tennis.<\/p>\n

He became a competitive wheelchair tennis player, played on Israel\u2019s national team for 12 years, and represented the country at the 2008 Beijing Games.<\/p>\n

From that experience, Kramer knows that reaching the highest levels of wheelchair tennis can be particularly difficult for athletes who begin using a wheelchair later in life or who did not play tennis as children.<\/p>\n

For that reason, he considers Sasson, who has won all four Grand Slam doubles championships in the past, although falling short last week in his quest for a 2026 calendar-year Grand Slam, \u201can exception in many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sasson\u2019s injury, the result of a snowboarding accident, occurred during adulthood. He initially began his competitive career in the open division before later being reclassified for the quads division as the extent of his injury progressed.<\/p>\n

The fact that the quads division is smaller has also meant that Sasson has had greater opportunities for success.<\/p>\n

Sasson is pleased about the possibility of new wheelchair athletes joining the sport, but he cautions that playing at the elite level is not for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf an athlete wants tennis, it is not easy \u2013 it cannot be as a side job,\u201d Sasson says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to be at the top tier, you need talent, discipline, consistency, and a mindset. You need the physical ability and talent, and you have to do it again and again and again. It is challenging, and it is not easy, but there are rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kramer is delighted by Sasson\u2019s tennis success and his potential calendar Grand Slam, but he views what Sasson represents as something much greater.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not just an athletic achievement, not just about tennis \u2013 it is also about how he represents Israel, partnering with a Dutch athlete,\u201d Kramer says.<\/p>\n

Sasson regularly partners with Niels Vink, 23, of the Netherlands, and together the pair have become one of the most successful wheelchair doubles teams in the world.<\/p>\n

Kramer views Sasson\u2019s accomplishments as \u201ca very strong statement on how Israel is more than what people think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps, in time, more newly disabled Israelis will discover wheelchair sports. Some may go on to attain great heights in the competitive sports world. Others may simply find a new source of community, purpose, physical activity, and enjoyment.<\/p>\n

Both outcomes, in their own way, could be part of the next chapter of Israeli wheelchair sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Guy Sasson and Sergei Lysov rolled onto the tennis courts at the recently completed US Open, they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1031,85,46,43,105,2201,279968],"class_list":["post-619303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-idf","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-war","tag-wounded-soldier"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}