Turkey will host the 17th Mediterranean Games between June 20-30 for the second time.
Mersin and Adana, Turkey’s provinces on the Mediterranean coast, are making final preparations for 17th Mediterranean Games, organized every four years among the Mediterranean Sea littoral countries.
Accreditation Coordinator’s Office provided security officials, who will be assigned for the games, with accreditation training, and announced on recently that the accreditation identities would be valid until July 3.
TURKEY WON AS GREECE WITHDREW
Turkey became the host country as Volos, a town in Greece, previously voted to be the host country, announced that it withdrew because of the economic crisis in the country.
After that the International Mediterranean Games Committee requested a second voting among Turkey, Libya and Spain. On February 23, 2011, the committee declared Turkey as the winner.
GAME OF MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES FOR 62 YEARS
European, African and Asian sportsmen from diverse languages, religions and cultures have been participating the Mediterranean Games since 1951, upon the proposal of the Chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, Muhammed Taher Pasha, at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Italy ranks the 1st with 1967 medals, France follows it with 1550, Spain ranks the 3rd with 1126, while Turkey ranks the 4th with 637 medals.
Izmir, on Aegean Sea, was the first Turkish city to organize the games in 1971.
The previous games in 2009 in Pescara, Italy hosted 3303 sportsmen from 23 countries competing in 28 events.
Source – World Bulletin / News Desk
