03/31/2026
War may be raging, but the world continues to turn, and one of our beloved para table tennis athletes and coaches has just announced his retirement.
He's on the shy side, so not many of you know him. But Aviv Gordon has been a quiet, pivotal presence in the Israel ParaSport Center table tennis community for many years, and his contributions have been anything but small.
At 8 years old, on the eve of Yom Kippur, Aviv was riding his bike with a friend when a bus turned into their path. He managed to signal his friend out of the way, but Aviv hit the bus and was thrown. The bus ran over him and he was in the hospital for six months where he underwent four surgeries to save his foot from amputation. The dream he'd carried until then of becoming a professional soccer player was gone.
Years later, playing around on his grandparents' table tennis table, something clicked. At 15, he realized this could be his new dream. He found his way to the Israel ParaSport Center, and from there he built a career that took him to nearly 30 international tournaments, including the 2018 World Championship and four European Championships. He took home three Maccabiah medals, reached a career-high world ranking of #11, and became vice European champion.
But Aviv's fingerprint on our community goes way beyond his own impressive results. Together with coach Rina Ashkenazi, he co-founded our successful Parkinson's table tennis program. He also coached many young athletes we know and love, including Michael Matos and Omer Gadot.
Ariel Veksler, who trained with Aviv who then encouraged Ariel toward boccia when he could no longer play table tennis standing, wrote: "You entered this sport like a meteor and never gave up, continuing to compete and achieve against all odds. You spent years coaching me, supporting me, and pushing me to reach the highest levels, even when it meant guiding me toward a different sport. It has been a privilege walking alongside someone like you, someone who always reaches their goals, no matter what."
Yehonatan Levi, who shared the table with Aviv many times including winning a pairs medal in Finland just last year and the Israel para league together, said: "I'm so grateful to have been on this journey with you. Together we won a national championship, a state cup, an Israeli pairs title, and competed side by side at the European Championship. None of it would have happened without us being in this together."
And Aviv himself shared: "Thank you to everyone who has been there along the way, who supported, helped, guided and coached throughout all these years. It's been an honor to represent the Israel ParaSport Center."
Aviv, it has been an honor being your home away from home. We wish you every success in whatever comes next — and something tells us this isn't the last we'll hear from you. 🏓🧡
Aviv Gordon
