May 27, 2019 - The opening ceremony of the Games of Small Countries of Europe 2019 is scheduled for tonight, May 27 at 9 pm next to the Wall of the Old Town in Budva, which will be the epicentre of athletes from ten countries, who will compete in ten sports from May 27 to June 1 in several Montenegrin cities.
Our country will host a multi-sports competition for thee first time that will bring together about two thousand participants - athletes, trainers, officials, representatives of national Olympic committees, journalists, and volunteers.
The Games of Small States of Europe (GSSE) are a multi-sports competition organized within the European Olympic Movement since 1985, and the right to perform is made by countries with fewer than one million inhabitants. Montenegro has participated in GSSE since 2011.
At the Games of Small States 2019, in addition to the host country, athletes from Cyprus, Iceland, Monaco, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Malta and San Marino will participate in the ten sports competitions. For the first time in a sporting event, the Vatican joins the competition.
Within the GSSE, athletes will compete in athletics, bowling, volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball, swimming, jungle, shooting, and tennis. The games will be held in Podgorica, Budva, Bar, Tivat, and Cetinje.
Bar will host athletic and basketball competitions, tennis will be played in Tivat, judo at Cetinje, while swimming competitions are planned at the pool in Podgorica. The epicentre of the Games of the Small States will be Budva, which will host matches in other sports - volleyball (women and men), beach volleyball, shooting, bowling, and tennis.
Participants of the competition are located in the Slovenska beach complex, and Budva hosts the officials of the national Olympic Committee of the participating countries.
The Games of the Small States of Europe, as well as all the competitions under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, are not just a festival of sports but have a much broader significance.
It is an opportunity for numerous guests to get acquainted with the natural beauties and tourist attractions of Montenegro and the Budva Riviera, to get to know our culture and customs, to feel the unique Mediterranean spirit.
The GSSE in Montenegro will also be important in organizing them with the respect of the highest environmental standards.
It will be the first "Green Games" to be organized following the strategy and the clear commitment of the Olympic Movement to promote the sustainability and protection of the environment through sport, especially the organization of sports events.
That's why the Games have two slogans - the first is "How big we are" and the other "Be fair by nature".
Given the number of participants and the breadth of all the opportunities offered by these events in terms of promotion of our country, it can be said that the Games of Small States of Europe for Montenegro mean the Olympic Games in the small.
