The 18th Small Country Games of Europe will be held from 27 May to 1 June 2019 and will bring together contestants from European countries with fewer than one million inhabitants: Andorra, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Montenegro.
The Games will be held in Budva, Tivat, Bar, Cetinje, and Podgorica. This will be a gathering of more than a thousand contestants and as many as a thousand more members of delegations, officials of National Olympic Committees and Sports Associations. It will be the very first multi-sport competition in our country.
"Smokvić has a name ending in 'ić' as well as most of our last names, and the last name is very important in a small country like Montenegro where people are recognized by them (where they are from, which family they come from). The last name “Smokvić” comes from the coast, by which the state of Montenegro is recognized as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. Smokvić was born by the sea, beside a small stone house, and he was always looking both at the sea and at the hills and the mountains. Smokvić has relatives all over Montenegro. It likes nature, but mostly the sun and the sea, because it was born there. But in winter, Smokvić loves to stroll down the snowy mountain peaks of the famous Montenegrin mountains," says the official site of the 2019 Games of the Small States of Europe.
"Smokvić looks like a fig fruit, because figs are the fruit of strength, energy, and progress, and it is what every athlete needs. Smokvić is a good host and will always offer you either dry or fresh figs. He marks that Montenegrin figs are the most delightful in the world, as confirmed by numerous foreign tourists who stayed in their home," explains the organization committee of the competition.
"Smokvić is a cheerleader and is very musical, so if he gets to know the music, he will first jump and play his own Fancy Dance. Smokvić is stylish and dresses up. No one would turn to meet him somewhere in the street. He loves to crochet, and his favorite colors are green, purple and of course red and gold. His fvorite combination for an outing? A shirt in light and dark purple and red pants with gold pearls," says the site.
The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) are an Olympic, multi-sport competition featuring athletes from the small countries of the European continent. Since 1985, the GSSE has been held every two years and currently brings together nine countries: Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino, Malta, Monaco, Cyprus and Montenegro.
The idea for Games of the Small States of Europe was initiated at the European Olympic Committee meetings when the representatives of small states posed an idea of establishing a small-states-only competition consisting of several sports. The first Congress was held in Baden-Baden in 1981, where the National Olympic Committees of eight small European states discussed how the Games for their athletes should be organized.
GSSE was founded in 1984, during the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The initiative to form such an association was supported by then-president of the IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch, who saw it as a unique opportunity to spread the spirit and vision of the Olympic movement.
The Games are organized according to the rules of international federations, with the support of the European Olympic Committee.
The organization of the Games of the Small States of Europe in Montenegro is based on a concept of an Olympic, functional, cost-effective and safe athletic competition with great international importance; one which will ensure a one-of-a-kind athletic event to its participants, say the organizers on GSSE Montenegro 2019.
GSSE Montenegro 2019, organized by the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, gets underway on May 27, 2019. Athletes from small European countries will compete in athletics, basketball, judo, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, beach volleyball, swimming, shooting, and bowling.
