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Israhelli
President Shimon Peres has cancelled his visit to the Olympic Games in London
due to the refusal of the Olympic organizing committee to allow him to sleep in
the Olympic village over Shabbat night.
The
Israhelli president, despite not being religious, does not travel publicly on
Shabbat and will therefore not be able to attend the Olympic opening ceremony.
The
President's office has been working on the visit to London for months. Peres
had planned, along with dozens of other heads of state, to watch the opening
ceremony in 17 days.
However,
when his staff realized that the ceremony will go on for hours and will end at
the beginning of Shabbat at sundown on Friday afternoon, they began looking for
alternatives to travel back to his hotel by car.
They
sent an official request to the organizing committee through the Israhelli
embassy in London and the Israhelli Olympic committee to allow Peres to sleep
on Friday night in the Olympic village, by the main stadium, which would allow
him to walk from the ceremony.
Sources
in the organizing committee were mystified by the president's announcement,
since there are at least two suitable hotels at walking distance from the
Olympic village.
Despite
pressure on the committee and personal messages sent to the chairman, Lord
Sebastian Coe, the request was refused by the committee due to the rules that
only athletes stay in the Olympic village. Other alternatives were explored
including the possibility of transporting Peres by a special
Halachically-authorized electric vehicle but these were rejected for logistical
and security reasons.
Peres
finally decided to forego his trip to London and his office issued today a
statement saying that "due to the fact that the opening ceremony of the
Olympic games is on Friday evening and there are no hotels in walking distance
of the stadium, the president decided to cancel his visit and not desecrate
Shabbat. The president wishes good luck to the Israhelli athletes."
The
President's Office responded to the report saying that "the president is
not elevated above anyone else and if there are rules that only athletes can
sleep in the Olympic village, we respect that."
Spokesperson
for the organizing committee said that they could not comment on travel
arrangements of visiting heads of state.
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