The 2022 Mediterranean Games (Arabic: ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 2022, romanized: ʾAlʿāb al-Baḥr al-ʾAbyaḍ al-Mutawassiṭ 2022), officially known as the XIX Mediterranean Games and commonly known as Oran 2022, was an international multi-sport event held from 25 June to 6 July 2022 in Oran, Algeria. Oran was announced as the host city at the ICMG General Assembly in Pescara, Italy, on 15 August 2015.[1] They were supposed to take place in 2021, but they were delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] 3,298 athletes (2,014 men and 1,284 women) took part in the games.[3]
Bidding process
Five cities signed an official declaration of candidacy for hosting the 2021 Mediterranean Games, two from Africa and three from Europe:[4]
Cities from five countries submitted their bids to host the 2021 Mediterranean Games. Oran, Algeria, has been chosen to host the Games. The North African city was elected during the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) General Assembly, which took place on 27 August 2015 in Pescara, Italy.
Oran took the vote by a considerable margin, winning 51 to 17 over Sfax, Tunisia, which was the other final contender to host the 2021 Games. This is the second time that an Algerian city has hosted the Mediterranean Games, the first was in 1975, in Algiers, the country's capital. Oran is the 2nd largest city in Algeria, with a population of roughly 1.2 million.[8]
Development and preparation
The Minister of Youth and Sports, El Hadi Ould Ali, inaugurated on 30 October 2016 at Oran, the headquarters of the organizing committee of the 19th Mediterranean Games 2021 in the presence of the Wali, Abdelghani Zaalane, the Presidents of the People's Provincial Assembly (APW), Fethallah Chaâbni, the Presidents of the People's Municipal Assembly (CPA), Nourredine Boukhatem and the President of the Algerian Olympic Committee, Mustapha Berraf. Several personalities from the world of sport took part in the inauguration as a legendary football star, Lakhdar Belloumi, and the boxer star, Mustapha Moussa, and also consuls of different Mediterranean countries.
The headquarters of the Committee was located in NLA boulevard in the old daïra completely renovated. It was Senator and Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Mediterranean Games (COMG), Abdelhak Kazi-Tani and Secretary General of the Algerian Sports and Olympic Committee, Abdelhafid Izem, who initialed the seat allocation paper.[9]
The main stadium of the 2022 Mediterranean Games is the Miloud Hadefi Stadium which is a part of the Olympic Complex in Bir El Djir, Oran. The stadium hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies.[10]
The Wilaya of Oran has allocated 5 billion DA for the construction of a large sports infrastructure program including an Olympic complex in Bir El Djir, Miloud Hadefi Stadium, athletics stadium, multi-purpose sports halls, center hosting sports, playgrounds and green spaces, in addition to the Mediterranean village in progress. The planned rehabilitation of the old sports infrastructure of Oran was taken.[12]
Emblem and mascot
The logo as well as the graphic charter of the Mediterranean Games Oran 2021 was redone in September 2019.[13] Wihro, the mascot of the Mediterranean Games Oran 2021 represents a lion (symbol of the city of Oran) with the colors of the games and of the Mediterranean basin.
The Games
Sports
The 2022 Mediterranean Games sports program featured 24 sports encompassing 234 events.
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