In June 1929, at the World Congress of Maccabi in Czechoslovakia, Yekutieli announced his proposal to organize the first Maccabiah, the "Maccabiada" (Hebrew: המכביאדה‎), in the spring of 1932, to be held in Mandatory Palestine.
The road to fulfilling the vision was long and difficult.
The 1932 Maccabiah Games were opened on March 28, 1932 and were held in the Maccabiah Stadium, which had been built especially for the games in the northern part of Tel Aviv.
Around 400 athletes from 22 nations participated in the games, which became a recurring event every four years, except during World War II and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

The Maccabiah Flag, a donation by Yosef and Yehudit in memory of their son Amnon, a squad commander in the Palmach who was killed during the 1948 war at the foot of the Nabi Yusha fort, was first hoisted during the 3rd Maccabiah in Ramat Gan Stadium in 1950.
In June 1929, at the World Congress of Maccabi in Czechoslovakia, Yekutieli announced his proposal to organize the first Maccabiah, the "Maccabiada" (Hebrew: המכביאדה‎), in the spring of 1932, to be held in Mandatory Palestine. The road to fulfilling the vision was long and difficult. The 1932 Maccabiah Games were opened on March 28, 1932 and were held in the Maccabiah Stadium, which had been built especially for the games in the northern part of Tel Aviv. Around 400 athletes from 22 nations participated in the games, which became a recurring event every four years, except during World War II and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
The Maccabiah Flag, a donation by Yosef and Yehudit in memory of their son Amnon, a squad commander in the Palmach who was killed during the 1948 war at the foot of the Nabi Yusha fort, was first hoisted during the 3rd Maccabiah in Ramat Gan Stadium in 1950.
Yosef Yekutieli