World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Tel Aviv  - Sport
Sport

Basketball is the national passion. The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club is the first and most successful in Israel. The team became the first national champions when the league started in 1954. Since then, it has won the European Champion's Cup 39 times, including a streak of 23 consecutive titles.

Season tickets to watch Maccabi play at the Yad Eliyahu Sports Palace cost NIS750-NIS3300, depending on seating; contact Maccabi, 108 Ben Yehuda Street (tel: (03) 527 2112; fax: (03) 527 3277; web site: www.maccabi.co.il).
Golf:
The only complete authorised golf course is the 18-hole Caesarea Golf Club (tel: (06) 636 1172), next to the Dan Caesarea Hotel, on the Haifa/Tel Aviv motorway (40 minutes from Tel Aviv).

Leisure centres:
Tel Aviv University Elite Sports Centre, Ramat Aviv (tel: (03) 640 8953) consists of a state-of-the-art fitness and weight room, two multi-purpose exercise rooms, two saunas and two jacuzzis. It is advisable to purchase a family season ticket in order to avoid higher fee single-entry costs.

Tennis:
Tel Aviv has many tennis centres for all levels. Tel Aviv National Sports Centre, Hadar Joseph, 2 Shitrit Street (tel: (03) 649 6465) has 18 courts. More avid players should visit the Israel Tennis Centre (tel: (03) 645 6666), situated half an hour from the city centre, in the affluent suburb of Ramat Hasharon. It has helped put Israel on the international tennis map and has 25 courts open to the public, as well as selection of highly qualified trainers. Public tennis courts may also be found in many of Tel Aviv's main hotels. The Israel Tennis Association (tel: (03) 649 9440) can provide additional information.

Watersports:
The main centres for outdoor watersports are located in the Marina or Surfpoint (tel: (03) 521 8281) in the Dolphinarium area and Jaffa port, which offer diving, surfing and sailing facilities. All the major hotels have outdoor swimming pools. The Tel Aviv University Elite Sports Centre (see above) consists of two indoor 25m (82ft) swimming pool and one outdoor 50m (164ft) heated Olympic-size swimming pool. The Tel Aviv Muncipality Sports Department (tel: (03) 521 8281) or the Israel Swimming Association (tel: (09) 8851970) can provide additional information.



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