Olympic Swimmer Adi Bichman to Lead Israel Olympic Committee
Olympic swimmer Adi Bichman was appointed CEO of the Israel Olympic Committee this week for a term that includes the run-up to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Bichman had been the chair of the Israeli Swimming Association for the last two years. She was one of three candidates, emerging from a final interview stage and selected by unanimous vote by a search committee.
“Adi Bichman is a remarkable professional who has gone through every significant stage of development that prepares someone for leadership in sport,” said Israel Olympic Committee president Yael Arad. “… Her wide-ranging experience, her background as an Olympian, and her deep understanding of the Olympic ecosystem place her in an excellent starting position to lead the organization in the years ahead.”
Bichman will replace Gili Lustig, who will guide Israel through the 2026 Winter Olympics before stepping down.
“I am deeply excited to receive the trust of the Israel Olympic Committee,” Bichman said. “It is a great privilege to help lead Israeli sport to new heights, even in a complex and dynamic era. … The expectations are high, the challenges are many, but Israeli sport consistently proves itself. We will do everything to keep Israel at the forefront, expanding and strengthening the abilities and achievements of our athletes together with colleagues across the federations and supporting platforms.”
Bichman, 42, swam for Israel at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She swam in the 400 freestyle, 800 free and 400 individual medley, not advancing past prelims in any event. She was one of two Israeli female swimmers at those Games.
She swam in the United States at Rice University. She holds degrees in computer science, sports management, psychology, gender studies and Olympic studies, and directs Ono Academic College’s School of Health Professions.
Bichman has been part Israel’s Athena initiative to advance female sports and has been on the Israel Olympic Committee’s executive board for the last two Olympic cycles, including as the chair of its professional committee ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Israeli swimming has undergone a renaissance in recent years, mainly fueled by swimmers coming to the United States on a pathway similar to Bichman’s.
Bichman is stepping into leadership at a fraught moment. The International Olympic Committee and other sporting bodies have fielded but thus far rejected calls to bar Israel from international sporting events over its military operations against Palestine in Gaza.
