Merav Olejnik
Merav, a member of the Maccabi World Secretary and Chairperson of the Sports Division for the 22nd Maccabiah Games in 2025.
She is an accomplished athlete in handball, triathlon, water polo—where she won national titles three years in a row—and open water swimmer.
She is also a swimming coach, senior handball instructor, and sports commentator for
water polo on various TV channels
Merav has held roles as a lecturer at the Wingate Institute, CEO of Athena—Center for the Advancement of Women’s Sports, and manager of youth water polo teams.
Her Maccabiah involvement includes sports coordinator and Sports Committee member. Introduced to water polo at the 1989 Maccabiah Games, she was instrumental in developing women’s water polo in Israel, now a leading women’s sport with notable national and international success.
Her contributions include managing the European Girls Water Polo Championship,
the European Youth Volleyball Championship, serving as secretary of the Israel Basketball Coaches Association (2002-2004), being a member of the Olympic Committee Plenary (2004-2012).
Recently appointed Director of the Center for Sports Medicine and Methodology in The Academic College Levinsky-Wingate (Wingate Campus)
Merav is the proud mother of an IDF officer.