The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) is a biennial multi-sport event, launched by the Republic of San Marino, organized by and featuring the National Olympic Committees of nine Europeansmall states since 1985. The Games are held at the end of May or beginning of June and feature competition in nine Summer Olympic sports.
Member countries
The games are organized by the members of the European Olympic Committees (EOC). From its initial forming at the 1984 Olympics through 2009, there were eight members; the group's ninth (Montenegro) and tenth member (Vatican City) were added in 2009 and 2018 respectively. Members all have a population of less than one million people (Cyprus is the only exception; however, its population was below one million in 1984). The participating countries are:
(*) Montenegro became the ninth GSSE country on 1 June 2009.(**) Vatican City became the tenth GSSE country on September 2018 through a partnership with the Italian Olympic Committee.[1]
The Faroe Islands are also seeking to compete at the Games;[2] however, unlike the other participants, the Islands are neither an independent state (they are an autonomous part of Denmark) nor are they an EOC member. Vatican City was expected to participate in 2021, but these games were cancelled as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and are now expected to make their debut in 2023.[1]
^The majority of the events were hosted in Cyprus' capital city Nicosia, with other events taking place in Limassol and the National Park of Machairas.[3]
^Lajović, Vuk (21 April 2016). "Budva će 2019. biti domaćin Igara malih država Evrope" [Budva will be the host of the 2019 Games of the Small States of Europe]. vijesti.me (in Montenegrin). Vijesti. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
