North Macedonia's Record Delegation Marches at Mediterranean Games Opening in Taranto

The Italian city of Taranto has been the center of Mediterranean sport since last night. The XX Mediterranean Games opened with a ceremonial parade, and among the flags of the 26 participating nations was Macedonia's own — carried by taekwondo athlete Dejan Georgievski and handball player Leona Milenkoska.

This is a historic moment for Macedonian sport beyond the competitions themselves — for the first time since the country began competing at the Games, a head of state is in attendance. President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova arrived in Taranto yesterday, visited the Olympic Village and met with delegation members ahead of the competitions, and attended tonight's opening ceremony in person.

A Record Delegation

Macedonia is competing in Taranto with its largest-ever Mediterranean Games delegation — 130 members, including 88 athletes competing in 19 of the 33 sports on the program. The range is wide: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, equestrian, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, plus team sports football, handball, volleyball and 3x3 basketball.

A Tradition of Medals

This marks Macedonia's fourth appearance at the Mediterranean Games as an independent country, following Mersin 2013, Tarragona 2018 and Oran 2022 — appearances that together yielded 14 medals, including the country's first-ever golds. This year's biggest medal favorite is Dejan Georgievski, an Olympic medalist from Tokyo, who said these are his third Mediterranean Games and that after silver and bronze, he's now aiming for gold.

The Games run through September 3, and MKNews Hub will follow Macedonia's athletes every day until competition ends.

MKNews Hub · Sport · August 21, 2026