Israel's First Olympic Bobsled Team Makes History

Days before competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Israel's first-ever bobsled team walked into their Prague hotel to find their rooms burglarized and vandalized. For captain AJ Edelman, who received the news via text while in Venice, it was almost too absurd to believe.

"I thought it was a joke at first," Edelman told reporters. But once the shock wore off and police finished fingerprinting the scene, the team's response was simple: move forward.

"It was just another Tuesday for us," Edelman said. The burglary was only the latest challenge in a 12-year journey filled with obstacles that would have stopped most teams before they started.

The MIT graduate sold his bitcoin (now worth millions) just to keep the dream alive while living below the poverty line. His teammates served in Israel's military after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, putting their Olympic training on hold to defend their country.

Along the way, they faced hotels refusing them service on Christmas Eve for being Jewish, a swastika drawn on their team van, and fellow athletes calling them "baby killers." They missed qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Olympics by just 0.01 second.

Why This Inspires

What sets this team apart isn't just their resilience. It's their mindset. Edelman says representing Israel taught them to view themselves as victors on a good mission, not victims of circumstance.

Even toward the burglars, Edelman showed remarkable grace. "I hope you get better. I really hope that your life turns around," he said. "These are things that we can replace."

The team playfully calls themselves "Shul Runnings," a Hebrew twist on the 1993 film about Jamaica's underdog bobsled team. While Edelman doesn't expect medals, he aims for a top 20 finish to inspire young Israelis dreaming of winter sports.

"In a couple weeks, no one is going to remember our names," Edelman said. "But they're going to remember that the Israeli bobsled team made it, and it's going to have ripple effects far beyond what we know."

This is Edelman's final Olympics before retirement, but the legacy he and his teammates are building will outlast their racing careers by generations.