Tom Shelach in deep mourning: "Great sorrow, the funeral was yesterday"
The winner of 'The Amazing Race' paid tribute to his grandfather who passed away last Friday. In a story he uploaded to his Instagram page, he shared the funeral and shiva details and received messages of support and condolences.
On Friday, the Israeli sports world said goodbye to one of its giants: former Israel national team coach and player Shimon "Chinga" Shelach passed away at the age of 94. Shelach, the father of former footballer Amir Shelach, will be remembered as one of the most decorated and successful coaches in the history of local basketball, with an impressive record of 251 wins in 329 games.
His grandson, 'The Amazing Race' alumnus Tom Shelach, paid tribute to him. In a story he uploaded to his Instagram page, he shared the obituary and wrote: "My grandfather." He shared the funeral details and the location of the shiva, and received many messages of support.
Source: Instagram, tomshelach7@
Shimon Shelach began his path in the youth team of Hapoel Tel Aviv. As a player, he played for Hapoel Maayan Baruch and Hapoel Tel Aviv (which he led to the first league), and recorded 356 points in four seasons in the top league.
As part of the Israel national team, he played in the greatest historical events, including the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, the 1953 European Championship in Moscow, and the 1954 World Championship in Rio de Janeiro. He retired from active play in 1959.
Shelach left his main mark on the sidelines. He coached Hapoel Tel Aviv intermittently between 1960 and 1969, leading it to a golden era that included winning four Israeli championships and two State Cups.
In 1965, he was appointed coach of the Israel national team (replacing Yehoshua Rozin) and led it to four European Championships, including a sixth-place finish in 1965. Under his guidance, the national team also won a gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games and a silver medal in 1970.
Later on, he also coached Hapoel Gvat, Hapoel Givat Brenner, and Elitzur Tel Aviv in the first league. He continued to coach until 1994, and afterwards, he harnessed his rich experience for the benefit of the community by coordinating the basketball branch at the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled.
