Mediterranean Games: 400 million invested to revitalise Taranto
Over the course of two years, 45 projects, including stadiums, sports halls, swimming pools and sports centres, were completed
Four thousand athletes, including 500 from Italia – the largest delegation; 33 sporting disciplines; 26 participating countries from three continents; 275 million invested by the Government, through Commissioner Massimo Ferrarese, to build or renovate sports facilities, a further 100 million – also from public funds – for the organisation, and an additional 6 million from the Government for regeneration projects in Taranto; 3,000 volunteers involved in various services; 2 ships (the Aroya and the Romantika) chartered to accommodate the athletes. These are the key figures for the 20th edition of the Mediterranean Games, which will be inaugurated on the evening of Friday 21st at the stadium in Taranto, where the closing ceremony will also take place on 3 September.
And the opening ceremony will be attended by a distinguished institutional audience, with Italia represented by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella; the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; and several ministers. The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, will also be in attendance, alongside other heads of state and government.
This is the second time that the Games, which have been running for 75 years, have returned to Puglia since the June 1997 edition in Bari. The Games are a celebration of sport, an opportunity to highlight the centrality of the Mediterranean and Italia’s role at a complex geopolitical juncture, and – as Pope Leo said – a chance to affirm ‘a prophecy of peace and brotherhood amongst peoples’. But Taranto is also banking on the Games to present a different image of itself and a new narrative: that of a city which, despite being hit by the ‘ex-Ilva’ storm – where the hot area will be shut down at the end of October by order of the judiciary – is striving to envisage a different future, combining the sea, the local area and its ancient history with a significant legacy of sports facilities.
Bringing this edition of the Games to a successful conclusion has been a marathon. Indeed, although Taranto was awarded the Games in August 2019, the organisation only really got into full swing at the start of 2024, following Commissioner Ferrarese’s appointment in mid-2023. At that stage, there were only 150 million allocated by the previous government, a few renderings and just one project – that for the sailing centre – which would later prove to be incomplete and therefore had to be redone.
The work, therefore, effectively started from scratch. Added to this was the fact that several months between 2023 and 2024 were marked by controversy and conflict between the Government, the Puglia Regional Authority and Taranto City Council, with the then regional governor, Michele Emiliano, accusing the Government of having snatched the Games away from Puglia by appointing a commissioner. Reflecting on those events, the Minister for Sport, Andrea Abodi, remarked: ‘We have made significant changes to the organisational structure and infrastructure. The spirit of these past few years began three and a half years ago with the formation of the Government and the realisation that something needed to change.’ Meanwhile, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, recalling his time as Minister for Cohesion, added: “The decision to appoint a commissioner – which was not an easy one at the time – was key to resolving the problem.”
