Mediterranean Games return to Italy for 20th edition
The Mediterranean Games will open in the Italian city of Taranto on Friday, bringing together about 5,000 athletes from 26 countries for the 20th edition of the regional multi-sport event.
The Games will run from Aug. 21 to Sept. 3, with athletes competing across 32 sports. The event brings together countries from Europe, Africa and Asia and combines established Olympic disciplines with sports popular across the Mediterranean region.
The opening ceremony will take place at Iacovone Stadium in Taranto on Aug. 21, with competitions beginning the following day.
From Alexandria to Taranto
The Mediterranean Games were first held in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1951 after the idea was proposed during the 1948 London Olympics by Muhammad Taher Pasha, then president of the Egyptian National Olympic Committee and a vice president of the International Olympic Committee.
The inaugural Games featured 734 athletes from 10 countries.
The event has since expanded significantly, with editions held in cities and regions including Barcelona, Beirut, Naples, Tunis, Izmir, Algiers, Athens, Bari, Pescara, Mersin and Tarragona.
The most recent edition was held in Oran, Algeria, in 2022 after being postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Committee of Mediterranean Games was established in 1961 to oversee the event and strengthen its organization.
Women joined in 1967
Women first competed in the Mediterranean Games in 1967, when Tunisia hosted the fourth edition. Thirty-eight female athletes participated that year.
Türkiye hosted the Games for the first time in Izmir in 1971, when 1,362 athletes from 14 countries competed. The country hosted the event again in Mersin in 2013, attracting more than 3,000 athletes from 24 nations.
New sports add to Taranto program
The Taranto Games will feature major Olympic sports including athletics, swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, fencing, football, tennis, archery and cycling.
The program will also include 3x3 basketball, padel, skateboarding, roller sports and finswimming.
Padel will make its Mediterranean Games debut, with medals contested in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles.
The 3x3 basketball tournament will have additional importance for athletes targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with competition points contributing to the FIBA ranking used in the Olympic qualification process.
Baseball5, frisbee and kickboxing will also feature as demonstration sports.
Italy hosts for fourth time
The Taranto edition marks the fourth time Italy has hosted the Mediterranean Games, following Naples in 1963, Bari in 1997 and Pescara in 2009.
The Games will conclude with a closing ceremony on Sept. 3, marking the 20th gathering of Mediterranean athletes since the event began in Alexandria 75 years ago.
Source:AA
