At the reception, the chairman of the Olympic Committee in Israel, Yael Arad, the CEO of the Olympic Committee in Israel, Gili Lustig, and MK Simon Davidson, chairman of the subcommittee for sports, were present. Before the events in Paris, Davidson predicted Israel could win 5, however, 7 Olympic medals were won, and under extremely stressful conditions.

Also in the audience of Israeli athletes and trainers were Anki Spitzer and Ilana Romano, widows of the athletes murdered at the 1972 Olympic Munich massacre.

The President congratulated the delegation on its historic achievements: "If you ask any Israeli man and woman - what moved them more than anything else - and provided them with moments of relief and national pride, in the last month, you will get one answer - "the Olympic delegation."

In the days when our enemies from all sides sought our destruction, "you were and still are - a source of unity, cohesion, and national pride. You brought a lot of pride to the State of Israel - seven Olympic medals!'

The president added a blessing of success to the members of the Paralympic delegation: "This is an important and joyful opportunity for all of us - to wish great success to our sisters and brothers - friends and members of our wonderful Paralympic delegation, who start the competitions today and tomorrow. And I am sure the delegation will also win medals, break records, and bring us a lot of national pride. We are all with them!'

He concluded his speech: "Both when we met here, and when we met in Paris, we talked about our hope and longing for the release of the hostages. This topic came up in every conversation, in every meeting, and in every interview, we talked about how much they accompany us and how much we want to strengthen them. Even today we emphasize the supreme moral and humanitarian task assigned to us as a nation and a country, and to all humanity to return our daughters and sons to the landscape of their homeland as soon as possible.

Thank you to all of you - our champions - we love you. We appreciate you. We are happy you won, and wish you success on the way to Los Angeles 2028!"

Also speaking was Yael Arad, Chairman of the Olympic Committee in Israel: "The Olympic Games in Paris 2024 were much more than sports games for us. While our country was facing security challenges, the Israeli athletes became messengers of hope, carrying the spirit of the entire nation on their shoulders. They managed to stand proudly in the international arena and bring hope to the people of Israel. The Israeli sportsmen and women have turned the Israeli flag into a symbol of sporting excellence while facing complex physical and mental challenges. This success is a testament to the country's ability to invest in sports and develop Olympic champions. Thanks to the support of the people, the state, and our athletes could focus on what mattered, excellence in sports."

Called to respond on behalf of the athletes was windsurfing gold medalist: Tom Reuveny: "To represent the State of Israel in general and at this time in particular - it's a mission, it's a responsibility, and it's meaningful." We have never felt more proud to bear the three letters ISR on the uniform. We wore the Israeli flag close to our hearts. The Israeli heart is wide and can contain both pain and joy at the same time, which does not diminish the power of the other. We knew that people at home were waiting to hear some good news that would put a smile on their faces and give them the strength to get up for another day of complex reality. We hoped that the happy moments of winning the medals, and the national pride of the Israeli flag hoisted high above the winners' podium - would light up the days of the Israeli people when the hostages were still being held captive and thousands of men and women fighters are on the battlefield and continue to guard us. Thanks to them we can continue to represent the State of Israel and remind the world - Israel is alive!"

Also added the winner of the silver medal in judo Inbar Lanir: "The meeting with the families of the hostages here at Beit Hanasi before we left for the games increased our motivation to continue training as best and as hard as possible. With the hope that we will be able to fulfill ourselves on the biggest sports stage in the world, and then maybe the abductees will hear about us on the radio and draw from it strength to continue surviving and also faith that they will return home. It was important to us to make the voices of all those who were harmed or lost their lives since October 7 heard and we did so using our strongest symbol - which is the Israeli flag."

Athletes in the audience were given a microphone to add comments and two short video highlights were shown before the group photos were taken inside and outside of Beit Hanasi. 

Journalist Walter Bingham (100 years young) commented at the end of the program - you did not even have to understand Hebrew - the event made him feel decades younger.