(image copyright Association of the Mediterranean Games Almeria 2005)

On June 24, the Mediterranean Games will get underway in Almeria, Spain. These games, affiliated with the Olympic Movement, bring together all the nations which surround the Mediterranean, with the notable exception of Israel. Almost 4,000 athletes from 21 countries compete in 24 sports in a regional version of the Olympics.

In this smaller field, nations that have minor success at the Olympic Games can really shine. For example, in the previous Mediterranean Games, held in 2001 in Tunis, Turkey finished third in the overall medal standings, with 61 medals. By contrast, in the Athens Olympic Games, Turkey was ranked 22nd overall, with only 10 medals.

The next Mediterranean Games will be held in 2009 in the town of Pescara in the Italian region of Abruzzo. Not only do these games bring attention to the athletes, but for smaller towns like Almeria and Pescara, they bring much-needed tourism and construction contracts.

Note: As I noted in the comments, Almeria was used as a film location for many of the “spaghetti westerns” in the 1960s, as well as for higher-profile films like “Patton” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” The official web site for the games has a page detailing some of Almeria’s starring roles.