SportsIn’s revolutionary index for the new Taranto 2026 medal table by countries and continents

The Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games have reached the halfway point with Italy clearly dominating the medal table. The host nation has already won 29 golds, 30 silvers and 25 bronzes, for a total of 84 medals, ahead of Türkiye, which sits second with 18 golds and 40 medals overall. Greece comes next, while Spain has so far claimed four golds, nine silvers and 14 bronzes. As we did at the last Olympic Games, at SportsIn we asked ourselves whether it is always fair to give more value to one gold medal than to five silvers or ten bronzes…

For this reason, SportsIn is introducing a second way of looking at the results at these Games through the Mediterranean Continental Performance Index (MCPI), an original system developed by SportsIn to compare the performance of the three continents represented in Taranto while taking into account, among other factors, one particular feature of the Mediterranean Games: Europe accounts for 19 of the 26 participating National Olympic Committees, Africa for five and Asia for just two.

The system awards three points for gold, two for silver and one for bronze. This makes it possible first to create a ranking of countries based on the weighted value of all their medals and then to compare the continents. For this second calculation, the points earned by the countries from each continent are added together and divided by the number of National Olympic Committees they represent. The aim is not to replace the official medal table, but to add a different perspective on performance at the Games. In keeping with the values of sport, it is reasonable to consider that, for example, the sacrifice behind ten bronze medals may be similar to or even greater than that behind a single gold medal.

Italy also dominates the medal table by points

Applying the 3-2-1 scoring system keeps Italy and Türkiye in the top two positions, but produces changes compared with a traditional medal table ranked by number of golds. Italy reaches 172 points, exactly twice Türkiye’s 86, while Greece sits third with 52.

Spain is one of the countries that moves up when all of its results are taken into account. Its four golds, nine silvers and 14 bronzes are worth 44 points and fourth place, ahead of France, Croatia and Portugal. Croatia also reaches 35 points, helped particularly by its 12 silver medals, and moves ahead of Portugal, which has won six golds but totals 32 points.

Data corresponds approximately to the halfway point of Taranto 2026. SportsIn scoring system: gold, 3 points; silver, 2; bronze, 1.

Europe totals 524 points

The continental totals initially reveal an enormous gap. Europe has accumulated 524 points and 274 of the 324 medals awarded so far, compared with Africa’s 74 points and 47 medals and Asia’s five points and three medals.

Europe has also won 83 of the 93 gold medals awarded. However, this comparison has an obvious limitation: Europe is represented by 19 National Olympic Committees, compared with five from Africa and just two from Asia.

Europe also leads when the difference in representation is adjusted

This is where the MCPI comes in. Europe’s 524 points are divided by its 19 National Olympic Committees; Africa’s 74 by five; and Asia’s five by two. The result measures weighted medal performance per NOC, allowing the three continents to be compared on the same basis.

Europe remains clearly in front even after this adjustment. Its MCPI stands at 27.58 points per NOC, compared with 14.80 for Africa and 2.50 for Asia. In other words, Europe’s advantage cannot be explained solely by having many more countries represented at the Games.

SportsIn also uses the MCPI 100 to make the comparison easier to understand. The continent with the highest MCPI receives 100 points, with the other two positioned proportionally relative to the leader. At the halfway point of Taranto 2026, Europe stands at 100.0, Africa at 53.7 and Asia at 9.1.

This snapshot corresponds approximately to the halfway point of the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games and will change as more finals are contested. The MCPI will also make it possible to track that evolution: not only how many medals each continent accumulates, but how its performance changes relative to the number of National Olympic Committees it represents.

What is the MCPI?

The Mediterranean Continental Performance Index (MCPI) is an original performance measurement system developed by SportsIn to provide a fairer and more proportionate comparison of medal performance between Europe, Africa and Asia at the Mediterranean Games.

Because the three continents are represented by different numbers of National Olympic Committees, medals are weighted — gold 3 points, silver 2, bronze 1 — and each continent’s total is divided by its number of NOCs: Europe 19, Africa 5 and Asia 2.

The MCPI 100 then gives the continent leading the MCPI 100 points and shows proportionally how far the other two are from the leader.

The MCPI is an independent analytical index developed by SportsIn and does not replace or modify the official Mediterranean Games medal table.