Mare Nostrum Mediterranean Fleet, with bases in UK-controlled Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, and Mandatory Palestine remained the only threat to Italian naval power in the Mediterranean. The invasions of Albania, Greece and Egypt, and the Siege of Malta sought to extend Axis control over the Sea. This policy was so far-reaching and potentially intrusive, that it threatened neutral nations like Turkey, a threat that İsmet İnönü, the president of Turkey at the time of war, countered by promising to enter the war only if the Soviet Union joined the Allies. Mussolini dreamed of creating an Imperial Italy in his "Mare Nostrum" and
Germany at the 2016 Summer Olympics any leg of the Mare Nostrum tour or the German Open (exactly two months after the trials). The German Swimming Federation (DSV) selected the first batch of swimmers based on their intermediate results at the Olympic Trials and Mare Nostrum Tour, while the remaining batch rounded out the swimming roster for the Olympics through the German Open. All in all, a total of 27 swimmers (16 men and 11 women) were named to the German team for the Games on July 12, 2016, including two-time world record holder Paul Biedermann in middle-distance freestyle, 2015 Worlds champion Marco Koch (200 m