Athens, 3 February the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) has announced that they have been obliged to withdraw the organisation of the 2013 Mediterranean Games granted to Volos and Larissa (GRE) on the understanding that the IOC and ICMG charters be respected and that all commitments undertaken under the host city contract be fulfilled. Sadly, since the signature of the contract in October 2007, not a lot has been done. The ICMG has repeatedly called for meetings with the authorities and has also asked for written guarantees, but all to no avail. In the end, the organisers were given a final deadline, which was 15 January 2011.

It was thus that, at an extraordinary meeting held last 28 January, the ICMG was obliged to accept the fact that the sought-after guarantees were not forthcoming and that the host city contract had thus been broken. As a consequence, despite their wish to see the Games organised by Volos and Larissa and albeit recognising that the Organising Committee had made every effort within its powers, fearful that this situation might prejudice the Games, the ICMG had no choice but to withdraw the organisation of 2013 Mediterranean Games from Volos. The decision was taken unanimously, but for one abstention. Mersin, Tarragona and Tripoli, three of the candidate cities for the 2017 Mediterranean Games, have since offered to organise the 2013 Games. And so, following a vote on the matter, the ICMG will designate the new 2013 Host City on next 23 February.