Troodos will host four days of sport, gastronomy, culture and wellbeing from 23 to 26 September, with organisations and delegations from 11 countries taking part.
Coordinated by the MountMed Institute, the programme will unfold across several mountain communities and feature activities for schoolchildren, older people and people with visual impairments.
The participating countries are Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey and Czechia.
International symposium in Platres
According to a press release, the programme opens on Wednesday, 23 September, in Platres with the Mountain Games International Symposium.
Held under the auspices of the Minister of Health, the scientific conference will bring together researchers, doctors and institutional representatives to discuss physical activity, public health and active ageing.
Activities for young people and inclusion
On Thursday, 24 September, and Friday, 25 September, pupils from across Cyprus will take part in the Elevate Your Life programme in Agros and Omodos.
The programme will include sporting activities, traditional games and food workshops, as well as a specially adapted activity for people who are blind or have low vision.
Culture, hiking and cycling
On Friday evening, Mountain Culture in Motion will bring traditional dance, music and intercultural workshops to older people’s homes in Platres and to Omodos Square.
Delegations from ten European countries will also come together for the Dance Gathering.
On Saturday, 26 September, activities forming part of the Mountain Games Cycling Festival will include hikes along the Madari and Millomeris Waterfall trails, mountain-bike races for all age groups and the Mentoring Under-12 Football Tournament in Kakopetria.
Later that afternoon, the women’s a cappella ensemble Amalgamation Choir will close the cultural programme in the courtyard of the Monastery of the Holy Cross.
Focus on mountain communities
The Mountain Games Futures Lab will examine the future of mountain communities through a conference on mountain tourism in Agros, a youth workshop in Evrychou and a two-day trail-certification training programme in Spilia.
The event will conclude on Saturday in Platres with the Mountain Games Legacy Forum, dedicated to exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
Mountain products and traditional food
The programme for the public includes the two-day Taste, Move & Thrive event in Omodos on 25 and 26 September.
A market featuring products from 30 mountain producers will be arranged across six themed zones, showcasing honey, aromatic plants, dairy products, pulses and olive oil, cured meats, wine products and traditional baked goods.
Visitors will also be able to attend:
- An interactive halloumi-making workshop
- A workshop on Cypriot and Italian ravioli with chef Marcello Zaccaria
- An olive-oil tasting
- A family breakfast celebrating tradition
- A public tasting featuring wines from local wineries
Friday evening’s programme will include a dance gathering with participants from European countries and a concert by the musical group Epea Pteroenta in Omodos Square.
European funding and institutional support
“Mountain Games: A Celebration of Sport, Culture and Inclusion” is a European non-profit event taking place in Troodos during the European Week of Sport and its #BeActive campaign.
It is funded by the European Union through Erasmus+ Sport 2025 and coordinated by the MountMed Institute.
Institutional support is being provided, among others, by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Cyprus Sports Organisation.
Source: CNA
