Cypriot athletes have begun their preparations for next year’s rearranged Tokyo Olympics, Cyprus Olympic Committee president Dinos Michaelides said during an online meeting hosted by the executive committee of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (ICMG) this week.

As president of the Cyprus Olympic Committee, Michaelides is also a member of the ICMG, thus his involvement in the meeting, which was the first for the committee after the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Amongst the topics discussed was the issue of the schedule of the ICMG’s forthcoming competitions, chiefly the 2022 Mediterranean Games which will take place in Oran, Algeria, and the 2023 Mediterranean Beach Games which will be hosted in Pesaro, Italy.

In his own personal statement to the other committee members, Michaelides spoke on the Covid-19 outbreak and its current status in Cyprus, saying that “as with the rest of the world, things were difficult in Cyprus as well, however, things are now under control and better than some other countries.

“Regarding sports and athletics, they are slowly starting to return to normal”, Michaelides added.

In relation to proposed changes to future games, including the introduction of the triathlon and the induction of a new sport, the tetrathlon, in official competitions, Michaelides said: “It is important that we find ways to safeguard and reinforce these games since they are so important to the Mediterranean region for many reasons”.