During the 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Games in
1959 in Beirut, the head of the organization and the president of the
Lebanese Olympic Committee Gabriel Jemayel, also
International Olympic Committee member, realized that the existence of these Games was fragile and therefore decided to create the CIJM which intervened officially on 16 June 1961. Of all the
National Olympic Committees within the Olympic Movement bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
Israel and
Palestine have not participated in the games, nor has
Great Britain who represents the
British Overseas Territory of
Gibraltar and
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In the case of
Israel, Allen Guttman in
The Games Must Go On argued that Israel's exclusion is both
antisemitic and politically motivated due to antagonism towards Israel by the participating
Arab nations. The IOC's
Avery Brundage was not supportive of Israel's desire to compete, saying: "I cannot understand why anyone wants to go where he is not wanted". The
International Amateur Athletics Federation pushed the issue at the
1959 Mediterranean Games in
Beirut by refusing to grant permission to hold an
athletics competition unless Israel were allowed to compete.
Lebanese games organizer Gabriel Gemayel conceded to this, but sidestepped the ruling by holding a parallel
Lebanese Games comprising athletics events between the present nations alongside the official Mediterranean Games competitions. There are countries not bordering the Mediterranean Sea which nonetheless participate:
Portugal,
Andorra,
Kosovo,
San Marino,
Serbia and
North Macedonia.
Kosovo was accepted as a member of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games in October 2015 and participated for the first time in the
2018 Mediterranean Games in
Tarragona, Spain.
Portugal competed in the
2018 Mediterranean Games after a decision which approved Portugal as effective National Olympic Committee. The
Hellenic Olympic Committee has suggested that nine more countries that do not satisfy geographic criteria could be allowed to participate, such as
Bulgaria, and some
Arab countries such as
Jordan and
Iraq. ==Mediterranean Sports Federations==