The building, located on the picturesque seafront in the downtown part of Algeria's second city, has been repaired and renovated in order to be fit for purpose.

COA President Mustapha Berraf was present alongside Salim Ozavpat, the managing director of Turkish company Solind, to confirm their takeover.

It is now set to form the base for spearheading preparations for the Games over the next five years.

An official Organising Committee is set to be unveiled next week, the COA has promised.

Oran was awarded the regional event by the International Mediterranean Games Committee in September 2015 after winning an election against Tunisian city Sfax by 51 votes to 17.

It came 40 years after the only other time Algeria had hosted the Mediterranean Games, in 1975 in capital Algiers. 

The next edition will take place in the Spanish city of Tarragona in 2017.

The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport event held every four years between European, African and Asian nations around or very close to the Mediterranean Sea.

There are 18 European participants: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey.

Algeria are also joined by Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia in Africa while Lebanon and Syria in Asia are also members.