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Dotan Meishar

Dotan Meishar is an Israeli Paralympic athlete who competed in weightlifting and wheelchair basketball.

born 1969Paralympic weightliftingIsrael wheelchair basketball teamAdvocacy for disability sports funding

Born: 5 April 1969, Degania Bet
Occupation: wheelchair basketball player, weightlifter

Dotan Meishar was born in 1969 in Degania Bet

Dotan Meishar was born on April 5, 1969, and grew up on Kibbutz Degania Bet. His sister is Naama Meishar, a former swimmer and Israeli swimming champion.

He served as a fighter in Shayetet 13. In 1990 he was wounded during his service, and his right leg was amputated. For 10 years he insisted on walking with a prosthetic leg and refused to use a wheelchair.

During rehabilitation he joined the IDF Disabled Veterans sports club and began weightlifting. He represented Israel at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, placing seventh and ninth.

He trained in basketball at Beit HaLochem and joined the Kesem team in 2001. He played for Israel's wheelchair basketball team at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. In 2009 he played one season for Galatasaray in Turkey, in protest over the lack of funding for the sport in Israel.

He is active in efforts to secure funding for disabled people in Israel. He trained as a basketball coach at the Wingate Institute.