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The Mediterranean Games, a multi-sport event bringing together athletes from countries across the Mediterranean region, will hold its 20th edition in the southern Italian city of Taranto, 75 years after the inaugural games were staged in Alexandria, Egypt.
The 2026 Mediterranean Games will run from Aug. 21 to Sept. 3, with about 5,000 athletes from 26 countries expected to compete across 32 sports.
Held every four years, the event brings together countries from Europe, Africa and Asia and features a mix of Olympic sports and disciplines popular across the Mediterranean region.
The idea for the Mediterranean Games was proposed during the 1948 London Olympics by Egyptian National Olympic Committee President and International Olympic Committee Vice President Muhammad Taher Pasha. The first games were held in Alexandria in 1951, with 734 athletes from 10 countries.
The 19th edition was held in Oran, Algeria, in 2022 after being postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Committee of Mediterranean Games was established in 1961 to oversee and strengthen the event's organization.
Women first competed at the Mediterranean Games in 1967, when Tunisia hosted the fourth edition, with 38 women taking part.
Türkiye hosted the event for the first time in Izmir, on the country's Aegean coast, in 1971, with 1,362 athletes from 14 countries participating. It hosted the games a second time in the southern city of Mersin in 2013, when more than 3,000 athletes from 24 countries competed.
The 2026 Games will feature established 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, a racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash, will make its Mediterranean Games debut, with competitors vying for medals in men's, women's and mixed doubles.
The 3x3 basketball competition will carry added significance for athletes targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as the tournament will award points toward the FIBA ranking used in the Olympic qualification process. Baseball5, frisbee and kickboxing will feature as demonstration sports.
Italy will host the Mediterranean Games for the fourth time, following previous editions in Naples in 1963, Bari in 1997 and Pescara in 2009.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 21 at Iacovone Stadium in Taranto, a port city on the Ionian Sea, with competitions beginning the following day. The games will conclude with a closing ceremony on Sept. 3.
The Taranto edition will mark the 20th gathering of athletes from Mediterranean nations since the event began in Alexandria 75 years ago.
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