Games of the Small States of Europe

The Games of the Small States of Europe can be traced back to the year 1981. There was widespread belief that a sports competition between small nations could promote the ideal of the Olympic Movement and strengthen the ties of friendship between nations. European nations with population under one million have the right to participate in the Games. These countries are: Andorra, Iceland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino and Montenegro. The first Small States Games were held in San Marino in 1985. The Games are held every two years in one of the nine countries, organized with the support of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The 16th Games will be held in Iceland in June 2015. The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland (ÍSÍ) will host the Games for the second time, having previously hosted them in 1997. In addition, ÍSÍ federations, the Ministry of Culture, the City of Reykjavik and Reykjavík Sports Association will support the Games which include six different sports. The optional sports for the 2015 Games will be gymnastics and golf, which will be presented for the first time in the history of the Games.