The Annual Table Tennis Event – In Memory of Israeli Hero Staff Sergeant Shay Michaeli RIP –
Sunday, October 12, 2025 – Avnei HaHoshen Hall
- The annual table tennis event (link to last year’s event), played in the TOP8 format in memory of Staff Sergeant Shay Michaeli RIP, took place during the Sukkot holiday, on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the Avnei HaHoshen Sports Hall in western Rishon Lezion.
- In the group stage (Women’s and Men’s tournaments, each with two groups of four competitors), played in a best-of-five format, the competition reached an exceptionally high level — with thrilling matches (especially in Men’s Group 1), surprising results (Carmit Dor lost 3–0 to her teammate from Hapoel Jerusalem, Tamar Kalvo; Ofek Nehushi, ranked last in Women’s Group 2, defeated all three of her opponents 3–0 and advanced to the semifinals in first place), and a spectacular victory celebration by Yaniv Sharon.
- At 6:00 p.m., following the group stage, a memorial ceremony was held in honor of the Israeli hero Staff Sergeant Shay Michaeli RIP, attended by many dignitaries.
- After the ceremony, four semifinal matches (best-of-seven) were played simultaneously, all of them of a very high standard — especially the men’s semifinal between Tal Israeli and Itay Shushan, which was thrilling from start to finish. According to a senior coach in the audience, it was one of the finest table tennis matches ever seen in Israel!
- The best-of-seven finals crowned Carmit Dor and Tal Israeli as the champions of the TOP8 tournament.
- For the first time in Israel, all matches were filmed by Pixellot and broadcast live on YouTube. The broadcast also marked the launch of DAZN’s global table tennis coverage — DAZN is the international sports network that aired the first World Cup for football clubs.
- The competition was managed in a unique way using software created specifically for the event, powered by artificial intelligence and developed without a single line of code written by a human programmer! The tournament was directed by Shai Rotbert, together with a team of referees who took part in the event with great dedication.
- Inspired by Shay’s values, referees were given a special green card in addition to the standard white, yellow, and red cards. The green card was raised by several referees to commend players for exemplary sportsmanship or behavior. It was, of course, a symbolic gesture with no real effect on the competition, but it marked a positive and pioneering initiative in Israeli table tennis — an exclusive innovation of the “In Shay’s Light” project.
- The event was produced for the second consecutive year by Hadar Ben-Dror Sports Productions, in full cooperation with the Rishon Lezion Municipal Company for Culture and Sports, the Rishon Lezion Foundation, and the event sponsors.
- The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries who spoke in the following order:
- Hadar Ben-Dror, producer of the event and master of ceremonies; Col. Y., commander of the 513 Spectrum Warfare District; Yaniv Sharon, coach of Beitar Rishon Lezion (Shay’s coach and seven-time Israeli men’s champion); Shir Michaeli (Shay’s sister); Orli Michaeli (Shay’s mother); and Mr. Raz Kinstlich, Mayor of Rishon Lezion.
- Among the distinguished guests were Deputy Mayor Ms. Liel Even-Zohar; Mr. Haim Diner, chair of the Bereaved Families Association, Yad Labanim branch; Mr. Doron Milberg, CEO of the municipality; Mr. Arik Zmajtes, Head of the Sports and Community Division of the Municipal Company; Mr. Assi Deri, Director of the Sports Department; Mr. Yehuda Matityahu, Director of the IDF Communications Corps Memorial Site; and Mr. Saar Frankel, Principal of “HaAmit” High School, where Shay studied.
- The IDF was represented by numerous officers, NCOs, and soldiers, including Col. Y., commander of the 513 District, and Col. N., commander of the IDF Communications Corps Training Base (Bahad 7).
- Special thanks to Beitar Micha Rishon Lezion Club for their assistance in producing and ensuring the success of the event, to all players, referees, staff members, and everyone who attended.
- Heartfelt thanks go to all those involved in preparing and organizing the competition — many of them as full volunteers, and some who preferred to remain anonymous.
Timetable and results
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]https://youtu.be/6T1aMqV9iVs
Yaniv Sharon in a spectacular victory celebration – Photo courtesy of Pixellot
The memorial ceremony in Shay’s Light – Photo courtesy of Guy Hamuy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT6urnAaMhQ
