MADRID, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish King, Felipe VI, on Friday inaugurated the 18th Mediterranean Games in the city of Tarragona, located in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia.
The King attended the opening ceremony along with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Quim Torra.
The mayor of Tarragona, Josep Felix Ballesteros, said he was convinced these would be "the Games of peace and dialogue" and stated that "the soul of the Mediterranean is the hope for those who wait for an opportunity, the refugees".
The president of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games said in his speech that "the Mediterranean does not separate us, it connects us".
A total of 4,000 athletes from 26 different places and three different continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) will take part in the games, which are held every four years.
The sports competitions will be held in 16 municipalities and are expected to be seen by 150,000 spectators.
Olympic gold medalist swimmer Mireia Belmonte, Olympic medalist canoeist Marcus Cooper, and weightlifter and medalist Lydia Valentin are part of the Spanish team competing in the Games.
Spain ranks third on the medal standings won at these games winning 82 in the last edition, in Mersin, 2013.
This year's Games features 33 different events, including artistic gymnastics, athletics, archery, boxing or cycling, among others.
The Mediterranean Games was an initiative by Egyptian Mohamed Taher Pacha during the Olympic Games of London 1948. He was the vice president of the International Olympic Committee at that time.
The Games were first held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 1951, followed by Barcelona, Beirut and Naples.
