Cyprus will take part in the 20th Mediterranean Games to be held in Taranto, Italy, on August 21 to September 3 with 145 athletes in 24 sports.
A press conference was held on Wednesday in Nicosia, during which the Cyprus delegation was presented . Head of the Cyprus Olympic Committee, George Chrysostomou expressed his optimism that Cyprus will have another successful presence, following the recent medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
These successes, he noted, is a proof that Cyprus sports can have great distinctions in major international events.
He described the Mediterranean Games as one of the most important multi-sport events on the international sports calendar, noting that Cyprus’ participation is not only a competitive challenge, but also an opportunity to showcase the level of Cypriot sports and values such as ethics, consistency, respect and fair play.
A total of 145 athletes, who will compete in 24 sports representing 22 sports federations take part in the games. The Cyprus delegation consists of 234 persons in total, including coaches, medical staff and members of the press.
Chrysostomou also pointed out that the delegation includes 13 of the 15 athletes who represented Cyprus in Paris Olympic Games.
The Deputy Ambassador of Italy to Cyprus, Chiara Ratzenberger, said that the Mediterranean Games are far more than just a sporting competition, adding that they were launched in 1951 in the aftermath of World War II ”in a moment where the world had to rebuild itself, not only from an infrastructure point of view, but also from a social diplomacy point of view”.
She added that the motto of this year’s Games is ”Embrace the Future” and the 26 countries that will be competing in Taranto this year will be also bringing their cultures together.
The Ambassador also noted that Taranto was founded in the 8th century by Greece as a Greek colony and was one of the state cities of the Magna Grecia. ”And it carries this history still, because in the region where Taranto is now, which is called Apulia, which is a wonderful region,” she noted.
She also said that there are a lot of towns where an old version of Greek is still spoken, which is called Griko.
The Deputy Ambassador said that Cyprus will arrive in Taranto this year with every reason to be proud as in the last edition its athletes reached an incredible success, winning 14 medals across a remarkable variety of disciplines.
Head of Mission at the Games, Andreas Theofylaktou, said that this is a very large mission and therefore a very great responsibility.
He noted that this year’s event presents a significant organizational peculiarity, since the majority of the missions will be hosted on ships, which will be docked at the Taranto naval base.
“This peculiarity has significantly influenced our planning, without, however, changing our main goal, which is none other than the creation of the best possible conditions for all our athletes,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the athletes, the gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, Yiannis Antoniou, stressed that all athletes will give their best to achieve the best possible result.
On behalf of Cyprus Sports Organization, Costas Solomou, said that the organization is currently supporting over 100 athletes in the two high-performance and young champions programs.
CNA/THK/KCH/MK/2026S, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY