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JERUSALEM -- Forget the handshake that wasnt -- Israel is delighted with something much more unusual: international athletic success.While an Egyptian judokas refusal to shake hands with his Israeli opponent at the Rio Olympics reverberated worldwide, in Israel the focus is on national Olympic medals -- something far more novel than Middle East tensions.The country entered the 2016 games with twice as many Nobel laureates as Olympic medalists.After defeating Egyptian Islam El Shehaby in the contentious first round match in Rio, Israels Or Sasson went on to win a bronze medal in the heavyweight category. His triumph, and another bronze medal for Yarden Gerbi in the womens 63-kilogram judo division, has set off a national celebration in which the nations leaders have hailed the pair as heroes.I still cant digest it. Im stunned, the 25-year-old Sasson said. We did something amazing. Israel is a judo empire.While thats quite a stretch, theres no disputing that judo has become Israels unofficial national sport, with five of its nine Olympic medals coming in the sport.Soccer may be more popular, but this is what we are good at, said Moshe Fonti, the chairman of the Israeli Judo Association. Every other kid in Israel does it.The watershed moment came at the 1992 Barcelona Games when Israel earned its first two Olympic medals, both in judo -- a silver for Yael Arad in womens half middleweight and a bronze for Oren Smadja in mens lightweight. Those performances finally gave Israel something to cheer about at the Olympics 20 years after Palestinians murdered 11 Israeli Olympic team members at the 1972 Munich Games.It also sparked youth judo training programs across the country, turning the medal winners into celebrities. Arik Zeevi followed suit, winning bronze as a heavyweight at the 2004 Athens Games.Israeli fighters have won world and European championships and Fonti said 60,000 Israeli schoolchildren now take judo classes, one of the most popular youth sports.In a security-obsessed country, sports have never been a top priority. Schools and youth clubs often lack proper infrastructure, coaching and funding. The national team sports have never made a mark and individuals in high-profile fields like swimming, gymnastics and track have often been overwhelmed by superior competition.Israels nine Olympic medals -- three in sailing and one in canoeing in addition to judo -- have sparked jokes that they reflect what Israelis like doing best -- fighting and going to the beach. But behind the self-deprecating humor, theres a deep national pride in the countrys judo prowess. In a country where military service is sacrosanct, and where Krav Maga originated, judo provides an avatar for the Israeli psyche.Yes, we are good at Krav Maga, we are aggressive, we are creative in battle and we know how to exploit the weaknesses of our adversaries. All that is essential in judo, said Gili Lustig, chief of Israels Olympic Committee. You cant argue with success. Thats the best promotion for the sport.----Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerapRick Macleish Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Leo Boivin Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. 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But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach.Friday nights contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto wont be just another game on the 82-game schedule for the Toronto Raptors.Toronto (1-0) had its season cut short last spring by the Cavaliers, who defeated the Raptors in six games of the Eastern Conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals.Toronto fell behind 2-0, losing both games in Cleveland last May, but rebounded to tie the series 2-2 with a pair of wins at Air Canada Centre. The Cavs went on to win Games 5 and 6 to advance to the Finals.Its never just another game, said Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan. Every game we have, we look at it as a new opportunity to gain something. Come Friday, its another opportunity against the team we played against in the Eastern Conference finals.DeRozan led the way with a game-high 40 points and four rebounds in the Raptors season-opening 109-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.Toronto won the regular-season series against Cleveland last year, taking three of four meetings.Its going to be a battle, DeRozan said. Its a challenge were looking forward to: playing against the champs, playing against the team we took to six games in the Eastern Conference finals, its going to be great. Its going to be great in here. Its another challenge for us.Jonas Valanciunas added 32 points and 11 rebounds as he and DeRozan became the first teammates in NBA history with a 40-point game and a 30-point game in a season opener.Its a good opportunity for us to go against the best team, I think in my mind, in thee league, said Raptors coach Dwane Casey.ddddddddddddTheyve got every weapon that you could look for, the best player in the world, one of the best rosters put together in the world so its a good test for us.Id rather have it now, early in the season, lets us know where we are.Cavs guards Iman Shumpert and Kay Felder, who both underwent concussion protocol, are expected to be available for Fridays game against the Raptors.Cleveland (1-0) opened the season with a 117-88 thumping of the New York Knicks on Tuesday night -- the same evening they received their 2016 NBA championship rings and raised the banner to the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.Kyrie Irving led the way with 29 points and four assists in the win, while LeBron James chipped in 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his 43rd career triple-double.Its the second game of the season, we know we played these guys in the Eastern Conference finals. They have a good team; they beat us twice and coach Caseys a great coach so we know were going to have our hands full (on Friday), Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. We expect that. They have a great crowd, great atmosphere, but well be prepared for it.The Cavs return home following Friday nights contest for a three-game home stand beginning with the Orlando Magic on Saturday. Toronto, meanwhile, concludes its three-game home stand on Monday when it plays host to the Denver Nuggets. ' ' '