Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games and Aman Agencies: Sport and Dialogue Among Peoples
(ANSA) – TARANTO, April 17 – Sports, dialogue among peoples, mutual understanding, and friendship beyond differences. These are the key words and the spirit shared and promoted by the Organizing Committee of the XX Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026 and the main news agencies of the Mediterranean countries, united under the AMAN Alliance, as they look ahead to the sports event that will bring to Taranto 5,000 athletes from 26 countries and three continents bordering the Mediterranean Sea, from August 21 to September 3 next year.
This was the focus of discussion today in Taranto during the international seminar organized by Aman (which includes over 20 news agencies), together with the Organizing Committee of the XX Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026. The event was held as part of broader initiatives at the Villaggio IN Italia, set up on the occasion of the arrival of the Amerigo Vespucci, the training ship of the Italian Navy, currently docked in Taranto as part of its world tour.
Present at the event were also the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and the Minister for European Affairs, NRRP and Cohesion Policy, Tommaso Foti, along with Massimo Ferrarese, special commissioner and president of the Organizing Committee of the XX Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026, and Stefano De Alessandri, president of AMAN and CEO of ANSA.
According to Minister Abodi, “The meaning of the Mediterranean Games, like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is to associate sports competition with the values of sport, with good politics, and an idea of geopolitics that brings people together and knows how to overcome the issues that are so glaringly evident and violently present in everyday news.”
Abodi also announced that the Italian government will allocate an additional 25 million euros for the organization (in addition to the 25 million already allocated) and that “the organizational structure will also be supported by the international body that oversees the Olympic committees of Mediterranean countries.”
Minister Foti said, “The 2026 Games will certainly be a beautiful chapter not only for sports but also for cultural exchange, because it’s not just about competition but also about true and deep friendship among peoples.”
Finally, optimism regarding the timely completion of the facilities was expressed by Ferrarese, the special commissioner. “This will be the most important event in the history of Southern Italy,” he said, “because never before have 350 million euros been invested in an event like this, and so we have a duty to work with great strength and determination. And we’ve also been lucky to have the Vespucci ship here, the most beautiful ship in the world, and with it we’ll strive to promote and highlight the Games all around the world.”
