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Moshe Ponte

Moshe Ponte is an Israeli former Olympic judoka who coached Israel's national judo team from 1988 to 1996 and became president of the Israel Judo Association.

born 19561984 Olympic judo competitorCoaching Israel's national judo teamLeading the Israel Judo Association

Born: 29 August 1956, Israel
Occupation: judoka

Moshe Ponte was born in 1956 in Israel

Moshe Ponte was born on 29 August 1956 in Málaga, Spain. He moved to Israel with his parents in 1957, when he was 4 months old.

He finished high school in 1975 at the Israeli Air Force technical boarding school, studying aircraft electrics. He then served in the IDF as a physical training instructor at the Air Force flight school.

His coach was Maurice Smadja. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics he competed in the up to 78 kg category and lost his first bout to Michel Nowak of France. In 1986 he won silver at the Belgian Open in the up to 86 kg category.

After the Olympics he turned to coaching and completed judo coaching courses at the Wingate Institute. From 1988 to 1996 he coached the national team, working with Oren Smadja, who won bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and Arik Zeevi. He later co-founded the Meitav association with Shani Hershko to promote judo culture in Israel.

In 2003 the world judo federation gave him an honorary 6th dan. On 10 January 2012 he was elected chairman of the Israel Judo Association, and he also sits on the board of the European Judo Union. He is married with 2 daughters and lives in Tel Aviv.