Mediterranean Athletics Championships

The Mediterranean Athletics Championships (Greek: Μεσογειακοί Αγώνες Στίβου) were an annual outdoor track and field competition between nations in the Mediterranean region that took place from 1947 to 1949. These events were a precursor to the Mediterranean Games, founded in 1951.

Mediterranean Athletics Championships
First event1947
Last event1949

The Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association (SEGAS) sought to establish a regular athletics competition for the region, and scheduled the first event for 28–30 June 1935 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Seven countries were invited (Greece, France, Italy, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Egypt and Mandatory Palestine), but political and economic complications in the build up to World War II saw the cancellation of the event. When the war concluded, SEGAS looked to revive the idea, particularly given that the Balkan Athletics Championships was not taking place at this time.[1][2][3]

The first event was organised as the Eastern Mediterranean Athletics Championships (Greek: Αθλητικοί Αγώνες Ανατολικής Μεσογείου) and held at the Panathenaic Stadium on 28 September, 4 and 5 October 1947 with the participation of three countries: Greece (40 athletes), Turkey (28) and Palestine (15). The 22 events were between men only and featured two athletes from each country, and one team each for the relay. The marathon race was held over the classic route, from Marathon, Greece to the Panathenaic Stadium. A total of 19 athletes participated in the marathon: 2 Turks, 2 Greeks and 15 other Greek runners not part of the team competition. Stylianos Kyriakides (2:56:15) was runner-up, with Turkey's Mustafa Kaplan in third with 3:04:20. Hammer throw was also held at the Panellinios G.S. stadium on 2 October. The Balkan relay event was over 1500 metres, with four legs divided into distances of 800 m, 400 m, 200 m, and 100 m. A team system allocated points based on finishing position, running from six points for first place to one point for sixth place. Turkey won the points competition, with Turkish athletes winning 14 events.[4][5][6]

The event returned the following year, taking place at İnönü Stadium in Istanbul on 6, 12 and 13 June 1948, though there was reduced participation with only three countries: Greece, Turkey, Persia. Again 22 men's events were contested and Turkey topped the points table, though the marathon race was not included in the scoring. The marathon course had a difficult looped route, starting from İnönü Stadium, on to Tarabya, Büyükdere, Sarıyer and Beykoz Park, then back to İnönü Stadium. Five athletes finished the race. Hassan Yildirim finished in second with 3:08:46.0 and Christos Vartzakis was third in 3:13:24.2.[7]

A third edition followed, but a diplomatic fall out between the Greek and Turkish national sports administrators, caused by events earlier that year at a Mediterranean Cup football match, meant only Turkey and five Italians athletes took part. The competition returned to Istanbul's İnönü Stadium from 9–11 September 1949. A reduced programme of 12 men's events took place, with Italy winning nine of them.[8]

Editions

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Ed. Year Stadium City Country Events
1935 Panathenaic Stadium Athens Greece
1 1947 Panathenaic Stadium Athens Greece 22
2 1948 İnönü Stadium Istanbul Turkey 22
3 1949 İnönü Stadium Istanbul Turkey 12

Participation

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Country Editions
  Turkey 1947, 1948, 1949
  Greece 1947, 1948
  Italy 1949
  Mandatory Palestine 1947
  Persia 1948

1947

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Winners

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Event Winner Country Performance
100 m Yehuda Gabay   Mandatory Palestine 11.2
200 m Kemal Aksur   Turkey 22.9
400 m Adnan   Turkey 51.7
800 m Adnan   Turkey 1:57.9
1500 m Cahit Önel   Turkey 4:04.0
5000 m Cahit Önel   Turkey 15:29.8
10,000 m Osman Coşgül   Turkey 33:46.5
Marathon Şevki Koru   Turkey 2:52:15.0
110 m hurdles Erdal Barkay   Turkey 15.9
400 m hurdles Lazaros Petropoulakis   Greece 59.9
3000 m s'chase Cahit Önel   Turkey 9:43.8
4 × 100 m relay ?   Turkey 43.9
4 × 400 m relay ?   Turkey 3:33.9
Balkan relay ?   Turkey 3:33.0
Long jump Giorgos Marinakis   Greece 6.86 m
High jump Ioannis Lambrou   Greece 1.75 m
Triple jump Ruhi Sarıalp   Turkey 14.37 m
Pole vault Theodosios Balafas   Greece 3.70 m
Shot put Konstantinos Giataganas   Greece 14.68 m
Discus throw Nikolaos Syllas   Greece 45.03 m
Javelin throw Ioannis Pappas   Greece 59.49 m
Hammer throw Thomas Baltzis   Turkey 43.74 m

Points table

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Position Country First placings Second placings Third placings Points
1   Turkey 14 8 7 197
2   Greece 7 14 8 193
3   Mandatory Palestine 1 0 7 69

1948

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Winners

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Event Winner Country Performance
100 m Kemal Aksur   Turkey 10.9
200 m Stefanos Petrakis   Greece 22.5
400 m Kemal Horulu   Turkey 50.9
800 m Seidis   Turkey 1:56.9
1500 m Cahit Önel   Turkey 4:11.2
5000 m Cahit Önel   Turkey 15:33.3
10,000 m Vasilios Mavrapostolos   Greece 32:38.1
110 m hurdles Periklis Tambakopoulos   Greece 15.8
400 m hurdles Kemal Horulu   Turkey 55.4
3000 m s'chase Cahit Önel   Turkey 9:37.0
4 × 100 m relay Periklis Tambakopoulos
Ventikos
Zafiris
Stefanos Petrakis
  Greece 43.3
4 × 400 m relay ?   Turkey 3:25.0
Balkan relay ?   Turkey 3:22.5
Long jump Kyros Marinis   Greece 7.05 m
High jump Alexandros Parodos   Greece 1.85 m
Triple jump Ruhi Sarıalp   Turkey 14.45 m
Pole vault Theodosios Balafas   Greece 3.70 m
Shot put Konstantinos Giataganas   Greece 14.17 m
Discus throw Nikolaos Syllas   Greece 44.67 m
Javelin throw Halil Zıraman   Turkey 57.60 m
Hammer throw Thomas Baltzis   Turkey 43.34 m
Marathon Ali Karaduman   Turkey 2:59:25.4

Points table

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Position Country First placings Second placings Third placings Points
1   Turkey 13 12 6 198
2   Greece 9 10 12 186
3   Persia 0 0 3 64

1949

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Winners

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Event Winner Country Performance
100 m Antonio Siddi   Italy 11.4
200 m Antonio Siddi   Italy 22.0
400 m Antonio Siddi   Italy 50.5
800 m Aldo Fracassi   Italy 1:58.6
Marathon Mustafa Kaplan   Turkey 2:41:16.0
110 m hurdles Mustafa Batman   Turkey 15.3
Long jump Antonio Siddi   Italy 6.90 m
High jump Albano Albanese   Italy 1.80 m
Shot put Angiolo Profeti   Italy 14.29 m
Discus throw Angiolo Profeti   Italy 42.14 m
Javelin throw Halil Zıraman   Turkey 61.31 m
Hammer throw Teseo Taddia   Italy 53.535 m

Points table

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Position Country Wins
1   Italy 9
2   Turkey 3

References

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  1. ^ Εφημερίδα "Αθλητική Ηχώ", φύλλα των ετών 1947 ως 1949.
  2. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ημέρα", Μάιος 1935.
  3. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ηχώ", φ. 22/9, 25 και 29/9/1947.
  4. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ηχώ", φ. 2/10, 5/10 και 6/10/1947.
  5. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ηχώ", φ. 7/6/1947.
  6. ^ εφ. "Ελευθερία", 15/6/1948.
  7. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ηχώ", φ. 3 και 5/6/1948.
  8. ^ εφ. "Αθλητική Ηχώ", 8/9 και 12/9/1949.
Results
  • Αθλητική Ηχώ (Athletic Echo journal) (in Greek) 1947 to 1949.