An inspection committee ended its tour of Alexandria to see for itself how ready the Egyptian city is to once again host the Mediterranean Games, Inas Mazhar reports The five-man delegation spent a couple of days in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria where they not only visited the sports facilities and venues of accommodation but also took in touristic sites. The delegates were accompanied by top officials of the National Olympic Committee of Egypt and the governor of Alexandria. The committee also had a chance to meet Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif who guaranteed the backing and full support of the Egyptian government to Egypt's bid to host the 18th edition of the Mediterranean Games in 2017. Following their visit to Alexandria, the inspection committee moved on to the remaining candidates who are competing with Alexandria for these Games -- Spain, Libya, Croatia and Turkey. The 2013 Games are to be held in the city of Volos of Greece. Egyptians are hoping to host these Games since Egypt was the one which invented the tournament and Alexandria was the first city to host it in 1951, turning it into the most important sports event of the Mediterranean region. At Alexandria 1951, 734 athletes (all men) from 10 countries participated. The event was held from 5 October to 20 October. The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Mohamed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee. The first 10 games always took place one year preceding the Olympics. However, from 1993 on, they were held the year following the Olympic Games. The Games were inaugurated on October 1951, in honour of Mohamed Taher Pasha, who was also vice president of the International Olympic Committee, the man to whom their inspiration is owed, with contests being held in 13 sports along with the participation of 734 athletes from 10 countries. Ever since, they have taken place every 4 years without any interruption. In 1955, in Barcelona, during the II Games, the set up was decided by a supervisory and controlling body for the Games, a kind of executive committee. The decisions finally materialised on 16 June 1961, and the said body was named, upon a Greek suggestion, ICMG (International Committee for the Mediterranean Games). The Mediterranean Games present an opportunity for peaceful athletic competition between youth from different continents, cultures and religions -- all bound together via a common Olympic Ideal which sprung from the ancient Mediterranean country of Greece, the cradle of contemporary Western civilisation. A chance is thus given, through these Games, for young people to get to know each other, appreciate each other, reaffirm or strengthen their ties in a climate of genial rivalry. The Mediterranean Games are held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC). However, their establishment too must be credited to the HOC, for it played a leading role in their being founded despite the difficulties. Athens is the permanent seat of the ICMG (regardless of who the president might be) and the committee's general secretary is Greek. This comes as a further tribute to Greece, highlighting its leading role with regard to the functioning and strengthening of the institution. The logo of the Games, also referred to as the "Mediterranean Olympics", is composed of three white rings symbolically representing Africa, Asia, and Europe -- the three continents that border the Mediterranean Sea. This logo has been used since the Split Games in 1979, for which it was devised and afterwards accepted for the whole Games. During the closing ceremony, the flag of the Games is transferred to the country of the city chosen for the organisation of the next Mediterranean Games. At present, 23 countries participate in the Games: from Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Asian representatives are Lebanon and Syria. And from Europe, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. The only countries not bordering the Mediterranean Sea which nonetheless participate are Andorra, San Marino and Serbia. The Hellenic Olympic Committee has suggested that nine more countries that do not satisfy geographic criteria to be allowed to participate, including Bulgaria, Macedonia, Portugal and some Arab countries. The symbol of the Mediterranean Games consists of three rings representing Asia, Africa and Europe, the three continents involved in this competition. The rings dissolve in a wavy line in their lower part, as if they were immersed in the Mediterranean Sea. During the closing ceremony, the flag is transferred to the country of the city chosen to host the next Mediterranean Games. No inland city has ever hosted the Games. All but one of the host cities to date have been situated on the Mediterranean coast (Casablanca is located on the Atlantic coast.) Recently, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Kotor (Montenegro) signed an official declaration for joint candidacy for hosting the 2021 Mediterranean Games.
