Lie-Games 2011 - 14th games of the small states of europe > GSSE

History of the Games of the Small States of Europe

At some of the European Olympic Committee meetings, the representatives of the small states suggested the idea of organising, between them, multidisciplinary sporting games. European countries with a population of less than one million inhabitants may participate, if they have an autonomous Olympic committee and are members of the International Olympic Committee.

The idea of these games took shape at the Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden in 1981, at which the Olympic committees of the eight small states met for the first time to exchange impressions and work out ways to organise games especially designed for the size of their states.

The decision was taken during the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984 and the statutes and technical regulations were drawn up. These Games are held - with little exceptions - in accordance with the rules and regulations of the international federations and the Olympic Charter and are sponsored by the European Olympic Committee.

All of the eight countries have already once organized the games; in 2001 the second cycle was started. The GSSE take place every two years either end of May or beginning of June.

On 1st June 2009, the Executive Committee of the GSSE decided to include Montenegro as ninth member country.

When and where they have taken place until now:
1985 San Marino
1987 Monaco
1989 Zypern
1991 Andorra
1993 Malta
1995 Luxembourg
1997 Island
1999 Liechtenstein
2001 San Marino
2003 Malta
2005 Andorra
2007 Monaco
2009 Zypern
2011 Liechtenstein