It was attended by delegates from Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro and Tunisia - membership of the ICMG is not confined to countries with a Mediterranean coast but also includes countries with cultural ties to the region.

Viron Bezhani, President, Albanian Chamber of Commerce, and Tullio Paratore, who chairs the Committee for Co-Operation and Development at ICMG welcomed the delegates.

Other speakers included Professor Ivan Sandanski, Professor of Sports Management at the National Sports Academy; Luc Vandeputte, a trainer and founder of "Sport Interface"; and Stavri Bello, secretary general of the Albanian National Olympic Committee.

They addressed the Games' legacy and management issues, and the visitors were brought on a tour of the city's Archaeological Museum and the Amphitheatre of Durres.

The issue of which countries can join the Mediterranean Games has been debated for some time.

At present, membership of the Games includes five African countries - Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, together with two Asian countries - Lebanon and Syria - as well as the following European countries: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey.

The European members clearly include several land-locked countries like Andorra, San Marino, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.

"For over a century, the ICMG has embraced not only a larger geographical approach enabling countries within 100 to 150 kilometres from the Mediterranean Basin to join the Mediterranean Family...but also a cultural one, for a country such as Portugal, with clear Mediterranean streaks in its culture and history," Amar Addadi, President, ICMG, told insidethegames, after Portugal was admitted.

He adds that the "Mediterranean Family is not yet complete and some countries bathed by our Sea are yet to be admitted in our midst: when the diverse political circumstances are auspicious for them to join the ICMG, the same criteria will apply", and he hopes this time will come soon, with "Mediterranean Sport aimed at strengthening the ties of friendship and peace between the Mediterranean countries as one of its fundamental principles".

The comments clearly refer to Israel, though it was not mentioned by name.

Australia, Britain and Bulgaria are associate members, while the Hellenic Olympic Committee has advocated the admission of Iraq and Jordan.