ISTANBUL
The Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) organized a promotional seminar for the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Italy on Friday.
The event for the 2026 Mediterranean Games, which will be organized in Taranto on Aug. 21-Sept. 3, 2026, was held under the title, “Sport, Sustainability and the Legacy of Multicultural Dialogue” in the Italian city.
The seminar was attended by Andrea Abodi, Italy’s youth and sports minister, Tommaso Foti, EU and regional affairs minister, Massimo Ferrarese, president of the organizing committee, Stefano De Alessandri, chairman of the board of directors of National Associated Press Agency (ANSA) and president of AMAN, and representatives of news agencies of countries in the Mediterranean region. Cuma Kaan Elbir, director of sports news at Anadolu, was also present.
Foti emphasized the contribution of the Mediterranean Games to cultural interaction and underlined that the multi-sport event in 2026 will be beneficial not only for sports but also for cultural exchange.
Ferrarese said they are looking forward to the games with excitement. “I hope the war will end by the next games and 28 countries will participate, not 26. We also want Palestine and Israel to be at the games,” he added.
‘Friendship, peace and respect’
Emphasizing the importance of bringing together more than 20 news agency representatives in Taranto ahead of the 20th Mediterranean Games, Alessandri, the president of AMAN, said the alliance “aims to strengthen cooperation between news agencies in the region and shares the core values of the Mediterranean Games: friendship, peace and respect.”
Anadolu’s Elbir said the games will go beyond just being a sporting event and will play an important role in terms of cultural interaction and youth policies in the Mediterranean geography.
“As Anadolu, we will continue to closely monitor both the preparation process of the games and the participation plans of the countries,” he added.
Recalling that Türkiye finished the 19th Mediterranean Games in second place with 108 medals, Elbir said: “The preparations of the Turkish national athletes, who will show a high level of participation in the 2026 Taranto Games, for Olympic and non-Olympic sports continue in line with the strategic plans of our federations.”
More than 5,000 athletes are expected to take part in the event, where 26 countries from three continents bordering the Mediterranean will compete.
