Mediterranean Games: a record-breaking event in Taranto
From 21 August to 3 September, 3,800 athletes from 26 Mediterranean countries took part. Italia won 224 medals
Key points
The 20th edition of the Mediterranean Games has come to a close in Taranto (with 3,800 participants, including male and female athletes from 26 Mediterranean countries), and the figures are record-breaking. “It was the most important event ever held in Southern Italia,” said Massimo Ferrarese, president of the Games’ organising committee, at the closing press conference in Taranto. And Merez Boussayene, first vice-president of the Games’ international committee, emphasised: “Congratulations to Italy and its athletes, and a gold medal for Taranto too. These sports facilities will now continue to serve sport and young people. I would like to thank the Italian Government, the Puglia Region and the city of Taranto. These results are also the fruit of coordination. Thank you to Italy and thank you to Taranto.”
The result from the 1997 event in Bari has been beaten
“Taranto has been a record-breaking edition,” adds Carlo Molfetta, General Manager of the Games, “with 931 medals awarded and 25 out of 26 countries winning medals. That has never happened before. Italia won 224 medals, beating the result achieved in Bari – 193 – and smashing that record by 31 medals.” In fact, the previous edition of the Games in Puglia took place in Bari in 1997. Molfetta also speaks of ‘a historic medal for Andorra, which had never won a medal before and managed to do so in Taranto. Turkey reached its 1,000th medal at the Mediterranean Games. Media coverage included more than 10,000 articles in the Italian press and content published in 50 different languages. Furthermore – as Molfetta points out – there were more than 150 hours of RAI broadcasts, 15,000 visitors to the Fan Village, and 22 million social media views in August alone. Locally, the MarTa museum welcomed 8,000 visitors, 3,000 young athletes took part in side sporting events, and there were more than 90,000 attendees at local side events.’
Box office takings of 1.17 million
And Ferrarese provided further figures from the Games’ financial report: “A total of 172,500 tickets were sold. Specifically, 32,855 were for the opening and closing ceremonies, and 140,000 for all other events. For the football matches, 47,268 tickets were sold, whilst takings amounted to 1.17 million euros. Furthermore, from 24 to 27 August – the peak days of the Games in terms of athlete attendance – over 600 transfers were carried out using a fleet of 145 buses shuttling between the Mediterranean Village and the competition venues.”
The city’s welcome and hospitality
“I must thank the city of Taranto and its people, who have opened up this city and welcomed thousands of people with open arms – people who did not feel like guests, but felt right at home,” adds Ferrarese. “The city and the local area have given us the opportunity to make all this happen. Perhaps we have caused some inconvenience, and I apologise on behalf of the organising committee.”
Speaking about the dual role he held – namely, chair of the organising committee and commissioner for sports facilities – Ferrarese emphasises: ‘I could not have achieved anything as chair of the committee had I not had an exceptional executive committee by my side’. Ferrarese then names the members of the executive committee one by one: Vice-Chairman Sandro Esposito, Managing Director Bruno Campanile, Manfredi De Leo, Andrea Mancino, Francesco Romanelli and the Deputy Mayor of Taranto, Mattia Giorno. “They have all worked hard and played a crucial role,” notes Ferrarese, also highlighting the role played by the technical commission led by engineer Silvio Scarcelli.
