Tarragona Mediterranean Games 2018
In a few days the Mediterranean Games will take place in Tarragona, a port city located on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea, 1 hour & 21 minutes driving from Barcelona. In Tarragona you can admire the vaults of the Roman circus and the charming alleys of the historic quarter. The city has a heritage of historic monuments and locations from Roman, medieval and modern eras. Tarragona reveals the essence of the Mediterranean.
Between June 22 and July 1, there will be 26 countries from three continents (19 from Europe, five from Africa and two from Asia) whose common denominator is to be coastal of the Mediterranean Sea.
These Games will house 33 different disciplines and 16 venues will be set up, most of them in Tarragona, although some disciplines will also be played in Barcelona.
Tarragona awaits the arrival of 4,000 athletes. In addition there will be present a thousand judges and representatives, thousand journalists and 3,500 volunteers that will put the Catalan city at the center of the world sports map. This multi-sport competition, which is part of the Olympic movement, with the recognition of the International Olympic Committee, is still a Second Division of the Olympic Games.
The program is limited to 33 disciplines, among which are some as unique and local as the sport of balls (bowls and petanque), or others that are not recognized as Olympic games, like water skiing or golf. On the other hand, there is a lack of traditional sports such as synchronized swimming, trampoline jumps, pentathlon or field hockey.
Athletes also see these Games as a test of demanding preparation for their individual goals, beyond the possibility of achieving a medal for their record. This thesis acquires force after the decision of the International Committee to modify part of the sports program of Tarragona 2018 for the fear that tests are disputed with a few athletes. The suppression affects nine of the 237 scheduled sports such as men’s 1,500 meters, ball sports, 125-kg wrestling, -49 kg boxing, Olympic Skeet shooting, -62 kg weightlifting and lightweight double scull rowing.
The list of cancelled tests does not imply elimination of any sport of the sports calendar, in fact that did occur in the previous edition to Mersin 2013, where the women’s basketball and the equestrian team were removed.
