| Oren Smadja | |
| Birth Date: | 20 June 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Ofakim, Israel |
| Nationality: | Israeli |
| Occupation: | Judo coach |
| Weight Class: | –71 kg, –78 kg |
| Rank Ref: | [1] |
| Dan: | 7 |
| Coaching: | Israel national judo team |
| Worlds Rank: | 2 |
| Worlds Year: | 1995 |
| Worlds Weight: | Men's 78 kg |
| Regionals Type: | EU |
| Regionals Rank: | 3 |
| Regionals Year: | 1992 |
| Olympics Rank: | 3 |
| Olympics Year: | 1992 |
| Olympics Weight: | Men's 71 kg |
| Updated: | 5 June 2023 |
Shay-Oren Smadja (he|אורן סמדג'ה; born 20 June 1970) is an Israeli judo coach and former competitive judoka. Smadja won an Olympic bronze medal in judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics, making him the first Israeli male to win an Olympic medal, and the second Israeli overall after Yael Arad who won silver in judo the day before.[2]
Smadja was born in Ofakim, Israel, to a family of Tunisian Jewish descent. He won an Olympic bronze medal in judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the under 71 kg category.[3] In 1995, he won a silver medal at the 1995 World Judo Championships. The next year, he could not repeat his Olympic success when participating at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[4]
Smadja was nominated as the national coach of the Israeli men's judo team in 2010. [5]
Smadja coached several Israeli judokas including Or Sasson, winner of the bronze medal in the 2016 summer olympics (men 100kg+), Sagi Muki, who won gold medals at the 2015 European Games (men -73kg) [6] and the 2019 World Judo Championships in Tokyo (men -81kg), Peter Palcthik, winner of the bronze medal in the 2024 summer olympics (men -100kg).[7]
Smadja is the first Israeli man to win an Olympic medal both as an athlete and as a coach.
| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | bgcolor=silver align=center | 2nd | Lightweight (71 kg) | [8] | |
| 1992 | [9] | ||||
| 3rd | [10] | ||||
| 1995 | bgcolor=silver align=center | Half middleweight (78 kg) | [11] | ||
| [12] |
Smadja is married to Liat, and the couple had two sons and a daughter. They live in Ganot Hadar. In 2024, on his birthday his son Omer, a reservist soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, fought and fell in action in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war.[13] When one month later Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik won a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he dedicated it to Smadja’s son.[14]
In 2008, Smadja competed in the 4th season of Israel's Rokdim Im Kokhavim ('Dancing with the Stars'), where he was eliminated 3rd (out of 12 couples). [15]