LEAP, an Israeli application based in Rosh Haayin, has partnered with Maccabi World Union to launch a platform for young athletes from underprivileged backgrounds and isolated communities, the company's CEO told i24NEWS on Monday.
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Omri Lachman, CEO and co-founder of LEAP, said that the application combines a sports discovery and endorsement gaming platform aimed at bypassing some of the obstacles that young athletes encounter.
"LEAP really combines content creation with short videos that allow talents in sports, who are taking their very first steps, to actually start participating in challenges, compete against each other like in a borderless arena, but it maintains a physical-to-digital type of experience – so in other words, if you're not engaged in sports, you can't play LEAP," Lachman explained.
Players of any sport can join the application, which allows young athletes from all over the world to post videos of themselves demonstrating their skills in a variety of sports.
Deputy CEO of Maccabi World Union Amir Gissin said that the application offers his organization, which currently has 450,000 members in over 60 countries, a chance to let the world know about talented athletes from Jewish communities.
"We start with Maccabi members, Jewish players who have the opportunity to use this very special hybrid application, to bring real-life skills into the digital world," Gissin said. He added that even though the pilot program will be focused on Jewish athletes, there are plans to expand it across the world and "bring in everybody."
Earlier in June, Israel's under-19 soccer team made history by reaching its first-ever final in the UEFA European Championship. This achievement also earned Israeli athletes their ticket for the Under-20 World Cup, which will be held in 2023 in Indonesia.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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