|
Latest update:
09/06/2009 12:29 +0300
History
of the Games:
1985 |
1987 |
1989 |
1991 |
1993 |
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
2001 |
2003 |
2005
| 2007
|
GSSE
AT-A-GLANCE (click on host
countries for more details) |
|
Ed. |
Year |
Host Nation |
Dates |
Nations |
Athletes |
Sports |
Events |
|
I |
1985 |
 |
San Marino |
23.05-26.05 |
8 |
222 |
7 |
49 |
|
II |
1987 |
 |
Monaco |
14.05-17.05 |
8 |
468 |
9 |
60 |
|
III |
1989 |
 |
Cyprus |
17.05-20.05 |
8 |
675 |
8 |
75 |
|
IV |
1991 |
 |
Andorra |
21.05-25.05 |
8 |
697 |
8 |
82 |
|
V |
1993 |
 |
Malta |
25.05-29.05 |
8 |
690 |
9 |
87 |
|
VI |
1995 |
 |
Luxembourg |
29.05-03.06 |
8 |
684 |
9 |
88 |
|
VII |
1997 |
 |
Iceland |
02.06-07.06 |
8 |
714 |
10 |
107 |
|
VIII |
1999 |
 |
Liechtenstein |
24.05-29.05 |
8 |
566 |
9 |
79 |
|
IX |
2001 |
|
San Marino |
29.05-02.06 |
8 |
658 |
10 |
101 |
|
X |
2003 |
|
Malta |
02.06-07.06 |
8 |
765 |
10 |
105 |
|
XI |
2005 |
|
Andorra |
30.05-04.06 |
8 |
793 |
12 |
120 |
|
XII |
2007 |
|
Monaco |
04.06-09.06 |
8 |
. |
12 |
121 |
|
XIII |
2009 |
|
Cyprus |
01.06-06.06 |
8 |
843 |
12 |
131 |
|
XIV |
2011 |
|
Liechtenstein |
30.05-04.06 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
XV |
2013 |
|
Luxembourg |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
XVI |
2015 |
|
Iceland |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
The idea for a
multi-sport competition amongst small states of Europe
was floating around since the late 1970s, but first formally
discussed at the General Assembly of the European
National Olympic Committees in Athens 1981 and again at
the International Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden, later
the same year. There, the representatives of
eight small states of Europe exchanged impressions and
looked into how to organise games designed for the size
of their countries.
The final decision to set up the
Games of the Small States of Europe was made during the 1984
Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the statutes and technical
regulations were drawn up. The Games are held in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the International
Federations and the Olympic Charter and are sponsored by the
European Olympic Committees.
The criteria were, and still
remain, that a participating country must have a population
of under one million and have an autonomous National Olympic
Committee that is recognised by the International Olympic
Committee.
The GSSE are held every two
years and have included up to 12 sports. A full round of all
the eight states as organisers was completed from 1985 to
1999. As of 2001 a second round of organiser began, although
the order of the first round has not been strictly adhered
to. San Marino, Malta, Andorra and Monaco have already
staged the Games for a second time and 2009 marks the second
edition for Cyprus.
The GSSE began with a modest
304 athletes competing in seven sports in 1985 in San
Marino, but have steadily grown throughout their 24-year
history to 12 sports and an expected 900 athletes for the
2009 Games in Cyprus.
Traditionally, since the
very first GSSE in San Marino, Iceland and Cyprus have vied
for first place in the final medals table. Iceland dominated
seven of the first eight editions, with Cyprus topping the
rankings at home in 1989. But since 2003, Cyprus has been
consistently at the top of the tables of the last three GSSE.
Iceland dropped to third place for the first and only time
in Malta 2003, but Cyprus has
finished third on two occasions (1987 and 1991).
Iceland leads in the
all-time Medals Table with 335 gold medals to Cyprus' 304,
although Cyprus edges Iceland in the total, with 799 to 796.
1985 |
1987 |
1989 |
1991 |
1993 |
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
2001 |
2003 |
2005
| 2007 |
