The stadium of the new Olympic complex “Miloud Hadefi” hosted, on Saturday evening, the official opening ceremony of the 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games-2022 in Oran, in joyful colors that imitated Algerian history and its value in the Mediterranean, through a number of musical and artistic performances.
The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, gave the signal for the launch of the 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games Oran 2022. Before giving the signal, the President of the Republic welcomed the guests present, led by the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the guest of honor for the session.
The attendees enjoyed a festive show full of colorful lights and and high-end artistic performances that included rhythmic music and a fireworks display within an integrated artwork using the latest international technologies that lasted about three hours.
The beginning of the ceremony was one of the twenty paintings woven specifically for this Mediterranean evening, under the title “Algeria from Africa to the Mediterranean”, its content reminds of the historical depth of Algeria and the Algerians and their rooting as an entity and influence in the Mediterranean basin, and the contribution of the country of martyrs to the space of this important shore.
The artistic presentation of the opening ceremony included 20 paintings, with the participation of 800 people, including artists, dancers, and image and lighting technicians. The text of the scenario highlighted the various aspects of Algerian culture, in general, and the regions of the west of the country and the city of Oran in particular, in addition to the impact of Algerian culture in the Mediterranean region and the contribution of Algerian personalities in human civilization at the level of the Mediterranean basin.
Followed by a brief display of fireworks and the firing of the shamrocks as a prelude to hearing the Algerian national anthem in a creative and distinct way that delights the listeners.
In turn, the TV director entertained the viewers with drone footage that highlighted the logo of the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games and the logo of the Oran-2022 edition, as a prelude to the entry of the delegations of the 26 countries participating in the Mediterranean party in the city of Oran “Al Bahia”.
As was the tradition of the Mediterranean Games, the delegation of the State of Greece was the first to enter the stadium track, considering that Greece is the cradle of civilizations and the Olympics, followed by the entry of delegations from Albania, Ondora, Spain and then Italy, which is considered the largest delegation participating in the Oran date with a number of 371 athletes .
Under the applause and chants of the Algerian audience present in the stands, the participating delegations continued to enter one after the other, making Tunisia the first Arab country to enter the field.
The delegates did not hesitate to chant the name of Algeria, “Hello Algeria,” and wave their hands to the fans in the stands and towards the television cameras that were taking pictures for the live broadcast.
As the Algerian delegation entered, the stands shook to the sound of chants of “One Two Three Viva L’Algérie”. The clothes of the athletes and representatives of the Algerian delegation varied between traditional and modern, expressing the mixture between the authenticity and contemporaryness of the Algerian society, similar to the dress of boxing champion Imane Khelif, representative of the Algerian western region.
After that, the decisive time came with the speech of the Governor of the Mediterranean Games-2022, Mohamed Aziz Derouaz, and the speech of the President of the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games, the Italian Davide Tizzano, who praised the efforts made by the Algerian state for the success of this 19th edition.
Then came the speech of the President of the Algerian Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who announced the official opening of the Oran-2022 session, after which he had the opportunity to review a number of choreographic and folkloric performances.
The conclusion was with a musical piece that was initiated by an orchestra led by Maestro Salim Dada, who holds the hat of the head of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Oran-2022 Mediterranean Games, and a lyrical performance by Tunisian singer Lotfi Bouchnak and Donia Al-Jazairia, and the symphony includes about 100 musicians. Not to mention the distinguished presence of the famous Algerian band “Raina Ray”, all under the burning lights of the fireworks that lit the sky of Oran “Al Bahia”.
The 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games in Oran will be attended by 3,390 athletes from 26 countries, including 18 European, 5 African and 3 Asian.
