Philadelphia, PA, August, 31 – Michael Pourat of Woodland Hills, California has been appointed to the Open Men’s Soccer Team representing the USA at the 2nd Maccabi Australia International Games (MAIGs) in Sydney, December 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011. The Games will take place at Olympic Park where many of the competitions took place during the 2000 International Summer Olympics.
Pourat is a student and Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA and currently plays Soccer with the Santa Monica Men’s club as a Defender. Prior to joining the Santa Monica Men’s Club he played Defender with both the Coast League and the El Camino League. While playing with these leagues, Pourat won several championships including the Junior Olympics and the California State Games which he considers his greatest athletic achievement to date. When he was a student at Taft High School, Pourat and his Team made it to the CIF Championship.
Pourat has previously represented the USA in an international Maccabi Games in 2007 as a member of the Youth Men’s Soccer Team at the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
When asked why he wants to represent the USA at the MAIGs, he responded, “I am proud to be a Jewish-American and want to play my best at the Games and have a great time.”
About the organization:
Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel (MUSA) has an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs. The organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, the Pan American Maccabi Games and the Maccabi competitions in Europe and Australia, as well as a co-founder of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America. As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities. It strives to provide Jewish athletes the world over the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings. MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish continuity, Zionism and excellence in sport.