CYPRIOT artists and sportsmen are gearing up for the 6th ‘Jeux de la Francophonie’ or Francophone Games in Lebanon this month. It will be the first time the teams have been eligible to compete in the games since Cyprus' accession to the International Francophone Organisation in 2006.

The four-yearly games bring together around 3000 competitors from 70 French speaking countries and consist of seven sports and an array of artistic events.

Cyprus will compete in two sporting events, basketball and beach volleyball. The women's basketball squad will be made up from Limassol's KV Imperial AEL, and the beach volleyball teams drawn from the male and female national squads. Two referees, Antonis Demetrios and Marinos Panayi will also be travelling to Lebanon for the sporting events. Demetrious will referee the basketball, and Panayi the football.

Cyprus will also participate in two of the cultural events. Sebough Voskeritchian, a photographer from Limassol, will represent Cyprus in the photographic event and Alexis Vagianos, a painter who has exhibited in Nicosia's K-Gallery, will showcase their work. Other artistic events will include sculpture, photography, music, dance, literature, painting, and storytelling.

Andreas Demetriou, The Minister for Education and Culture, said yesterday: "Sport is one of the cornerstones of cultural integration. Indeed for us Greeks this is both an experience and a belief, because the Olympics started out in Greece as a cultural event. Greek Culture and the culture of the Olympics are closely related, and they embody the principles of fair play, solidarity and international unity that mankind strives towards."

During the Games, Cyprus will also present a photographic exhibition entitled "Archaeological sites and monuments of Cyprus, a World Heritage Site." 

Demetriou added: "The participation of our country at the Games of the Francophonie is a very important event for our country as it will help the promotion of Cyprus in Francophonic countries and the development of the existing bilateral agreement with Lebanon for cultural and scientific cooperation."

The games, which first took place in 1989 in Morocco, will run from 27th September to the 6th October 2009.