12 days of sportcompetition and party: on 6 July they end at Not now, in Algeria, the XIX Mediterranean Games. About 3400 athletes for 26 paesi from three continents (Africa, Asia and Europe) competed in 24 sports: from athletics, to swimming, passing through football, judo and gymnastics, among others.
Italy closes at the top, Turkey is second.
That tricolor is the delegation that leaves Not now with the richest booty. The Italian athletes collected 159 medals: 48 golds, 50 silvers and 61 bronzes, finishing in the lead for the fifth consecutive edition.
Italy has conquered a cascade of medals especially in swimming: 34.
A team success, but also an individual one, as for the swimmer Matteo Rivolta, champion in the 100 meters butterfly – record in the competition, with his time of 51.66 – and in the 4×100 meters relay and silver in the 50 meters butterfly. “I’m happy with the result, I’ve been through a pretty tough time in the last few months, so I’m happy with today’s result and so I’m pretty confident for my near future,” the swimmer tells us.
Turkey is almost at the top of the medal table, collecting only 3 gold less than Italy (for a total of 108 podiums), shining in particular in wrestling, athletics and swimming.
Algeria is a record
But the feat was made by the home athletes, who for just one title, a gold medal) missed the last step of the podium, won by France! Algeria finished with a record number of medals collected in the competition – 53, including 20 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze – doing better than 21 years ago in Tunisia.
The 5 gold medals collected in both boxing and athletics are noteworthy. Historic double gold-silver in the 800m for Algerian runners Djamel Sedjati and Yacine Hethat.
One of the elected champions is the young judoka from Oran, Messaoud Redouane Dris, who triumphed in the -73kg category, encouraged by his audience. “It was a great honor for me”, says the 2022 African Champion and Algerian flag-waver. “I received a gold medal, it was a great joy. The audience came to support and encourage me. My parents were also present for the occasion “.
The charge of the people
To give the necessary energy to the national athletes to be able to shine was certainly the warm public, who participated strongly in the event, filling the stands for the entire duration of the competition.
An enthusiastic audience, ready to cheer not only for their compatriots, but for all the athletes. “Everything is beautiful, the Oranians have a big heart, it is not for nothing that we shouted ‘Oran in the heart’. Everyone is welcome … it is beautiful!”, Tells us a woman from Algiers.
“When we say Mediterranean Games we say Oran”, says a girl in the stands. “So Oran is generosity, it’s the Mediterranean, a really nice atmosphere, a nice solidarity between people. And a great respect for foreigners …”
What is certain is that these Games have enriched the second city of Algeria: in sports infrastructures, in experience in large-scale events, but also in fame in the Mediterranean basin. This is certain, for the president of the organizing committee of Oran 2022 (COJM), Mohamed Aziz Derouaz: “I think that the whole world and especially the whole of Europe, and the countries of the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa could enjoy ‘real Olympic Games’ These Games will open a new page for Oran, both in terms of sport and tourism, because many of the participants now want to return to Oran as tourists and no longer as athletes. “
The passing of the baton
The 19th edition closed its doors as it opened them: with a magnificent ceremony at the Olympic Stadium. 40,000 spectators of all ages attended the show in the stands: music, dancing, fireworks and fun, with the 26 delegations marching for the last time on the athletics track.
And to conclude: the handover to the city that in four years will host the sporting event of the three circles: Taranto, in southern Italy.
