Yehuda Gabay, co-founder of the legendary ‘Sport News,’ died at age 93
Gabay was born in Tel Aviv in 1926, and in 1944 was exiled by the British to Eritrea and Sudan.
By MAARIV ONLINEYehuda Gabay(photo credit: ARIEL BASHOR)
Athlete and sports journalist Yehuda Gabay passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. Gabay was a short-distance Israeli champion in the 1940s, before becoming a journalist and a senior official on the sports betting council. He is survived by three children: Orly, Boaz and Roni.Gabay was born in Tel Aviv in 1926, and in 1944 was exiled by the British to Eritrea and Sudan. He held Israel's record for 60-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter races. In 1948, he was to represent Israel at the London Olympics, but due to the War of Independence, he served in the IDF during that time in the 31st Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade. In 1950 he participated in the third Maccabiah Games, the first in Israel, and was honored to read the athlete's oath.In 1952, as a sports reporter, he joined the weekly magazine HaOlam HaZeh (literally translates to This World), and in 1954 was among the group of journalists who founded the mythical daily sports newspaper, Sports News, which existed for 31 years, until 1985. The paper was considered especially popular in the days before television entered Israel, when the place of the major daily newspapers for sports was limited and Sports News was an alternative. Gabay was one of the newspaper's owners and editors.During his career, Gabay covered three World Cups (Switzerland 1954, Sweden 1962, England 1966) and three Olympics (Rome 1960, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976). At the close of the Sports News, Gabay was appointed as the spokesperson for the sports institutions and then the spokesman and director of public relations and advertising for the sports betting council.
