The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932."The 20th Maccabiah Games: A brief History (Part 1)," The Canadian Jewish News. World War II forced the games to be postponed between 1938-50. In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee.Mitchell G. Bard and Moshe Schwartz (2005). 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know about Israel p. 84. Among other Olympic and world champions, swimmer Mark Spitz won 10 Maccabiah gold medals before earning his first of nine Olympic gold medals.
