The debut of athletics in the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games on 30 August and will be held at the Giuseppe Valente Stadium. On the first day, from 5.35 pm, 24 medals will be awarded in the following events: men’s hammer throw, women’s pole vault, men’s long jump and javelin throw, women’s 100m and 5,000m, men’s 100m, and the mixed 4x400m relay.

In the men’s hammer throw, the Egyptian Mostafa El Gamal – a four-time African champion and winner of the 2013 Mediterranean Games – will be competing. In the men’s javelin throw, the line-up includes the Portuguese athlete Leandro Parrecas Ramos, gold medallist at Oran 2022, and the Frenchman Felise Vahai Sosaia, who won bronze four years ago.

In the women’s events, the pole vault will feature Slovenia’s Tina Sutej, bronze medallist at the 2025 World Championships, and Italy’s Elisa Molinarolo, who finished sixth at the 2024 Paris Games. In the 5,000 metres, the field includes the Italians Micol Majori, bronze medallist at the 2026 European Championships, and Federica Del Buono, silver medallist in the 1,500 metres at Orano 2022, as well as the Portuguese athlete Patricia Silva, bronze medallist in the 1,500 metres at the 2026 European Championships.