| Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | EMAC |
| Formation | 1980 |
| Legal status | Active |
| Region served | Middle East, Asia Minor, Egypt |
| Membership | 17 (American international schools) |
| Official languages | English |
The Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference (EMAC) is a regional sports league founded in 1980 that hosts tournaments in a wide range of athletic and academic activities. The conference consists of 17 American international schools from 11 nations- UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Cyprus, Jordan, Greece, Syria, and Lebanon.
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Basketball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, softball, soccer, track and field, cross country, wrestling, and badminton are offered as athletic activities. Typically, each sport will have four separate tournaments, with a distinction made between boys and girls teams, as well as Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. However, both gender tournaments are hosted together at each level (eg. Varsity Girls Basketball and Varsity Boys Basketball are hosted simultaneously by one school). EMAC also offers three non-athletic activities: Forensics, Academic Games, and the Fine Arts Festival. These events are gender-neutral, and Forensics is open to all high school students (there is no distinction between Varsity and Junior Varsity). EMAC also offers an activity called the Middle School Festival, a noncompetitive tournament in which participants play a variety of sports and gain exposure to athletics and team play.
The schedule of tournaments for the following year are decided around April. However, teams from individual schools will typically prepare 1-2 months before an EMAC tournament, which is scheduled over a weekend so as not to disturb school sessions. Participating schools take turns hosting the event, meaning that they are responsible for facilitating the events and housing the traveling athletes with their own students. Competition is generally relaxed. Many teams (especially non-athletic ones) report that most students who show up for try-outs or auditions make the team, regardless of talent, as a result of poor attendance. However, it must be noted that this system allows students with little athletic skill to participate in and enjoy sports, a primary objective of the sports conference. Still, the level of competition is slowly becoming more fierce, as a spike in demand for American international education in the Middle East has led to the expansion of many of the participating schools. The activities are played in the mornings and afternoons of tournament, while evenings are kept free for team members to socialize and experience the host city. The teams are often take to malls, or are invited to a school-chaperoned mixer, during these times.
All EMAC participants are required to sign an official form stating that they agree to adhere to the Code of Conduct, which prohibits the participant from possession/use of alcohol and illegal narcotics, as well as enforcing a strict curfew. Any participant found to have violated these rules may be punished with a 12-month ban from all EMAC activities, and will also likely face punishment from their school administration. While rumors of broken curfews and possession of tobacco are rampant, few participants are ever punished, possibly due to a lack of legitimate evidence.
The EMAC Full Member schools are as follows:
Other participating schools include: