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Europe's largest Jewish sporting event being held at site of 1936 Nazi-era Olympics in Berlin

Associated Press
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FILE - In this June 6, 2015 file photo the Olympic Rings are silhoetted outside the Olympic stadium in Berlin ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Juventus Turin and FC Barcelona. Europe’s largest Jewish sporting event is coming to Germany for the first time, bringing more than 2,000 Jewish athletes together from around the world to compete at a site constructed by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, file) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 1936 file photo Adolf Hitler and Colonel General Hermann Goering are on the grand stand in the stadium watching the events on the field at the Olympics in Berlin. Europe’s largest Jewish sporting event is coming to Germany for the first time, bringing more than 2,000 Jewish athletes together from around the world to compete at a site constructed by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics. (AP Photo, file) (The Associated Press)

SPECIFIES THAT THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE OLYMPIC PARK OUTSIDE THE OLYMPIC STADIUM - FILE - In this June 6, 2015 file photo the Olympic Rings are silhoetted outside the Olympic stadium in Berlin ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Juventus Turin and FC Barcelona. Europe’s largest Jewish sporting event is coming to Germany for the first time, bringing more than 2,000 Jewish athletes together from around the world to compete at the Olympic Park a site constructed by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, file) (The Associated Press)

Europe's largest Jewish sporting event is coming to Germany for the first time, bringing more than 2,000 Jewish athletes together from around the world to compete at a site constructed by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics.

The decision to host the 14th European Maccabi Games in Berlin was a difficult one, organizer Alon Meyer said Monday, but should be seen as a "signal of reconciliation" 70 years after the end of World War II.

The games take place every four years and were last held in Vienna.

This year some 2,300 athletes from 38 countries are expected. Though only Jewish athletes can compete in events, "let's play together" matches are also being staged with non-Jewish professional and celebrity teams.