From August 25th to 31st, beach sports are in the spotlight in Patras, Greece for the 2019 Mediterranean Beach Games. Among the twenty-six countries competing, Monaco will send six athletes in two disciplines: beach volleyball and beach-rowing, which is a mix of sprint and rowing.
The Mediterranean Beach Games were created in 2015 at an Olympiad in Pescara, Italy. In parallel with the Mediterranean Games, which take place every four years and include classic Olympic events, this variation allows an exhibition of disciplines specifically practiced at the seaside. Different sports are therefore offered to participants: besides beach volleyball, beach- soccer and beach-handball, the Greek city of Patras will be the scene of aquathlon tournaments (a mixture of running and swimming), beach tennis, beach wrestling, sea canoeing, swimming with flippers and in open water, or beach rowing.
Monaco in the running
For the Monegasque athletes, these Mediterranean Beach Games are an opportunity to represent their sports, which are relatively obscure in the public eye, as well as to gauge their levels in relation to the countries of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Two teams, one male and the other female, will defend the colors of the Rock in beach rowing: they will run to their boat and then perform a slalom rowing. The discipline, spectacular is expanding and brings together more and more practitioners of traditional rowing. Of Monegasque nationality, the Ferry brothers will be involved in the beach volleyball tournament, which should be very open. Meet at the beach of Patras starting August 25th or on the official website (https://www.mbgpatras2019.gr/) to follow the results.
*Article originally published in the French edition of the Monaco Tribune.