Montenegro enter four events

All eyes will be on the Montenegro contingent at the opening ceremony in Vaduz on Monday as the former Yugoslav republic will make its bow in the Games of the Small States of Europe.

Montenegro officially applied to join the GSSE in 2008. At a bureau meeting in Nicosia two years ago, their application was formally discussed before the other eight GSSE nations voted unanimously to accept them as new members. It was the first time a new country had been added to the GSSE fold since the Games’ inception in 1985.

In Liechtenstein, Montenegro will be competing with a token contingent. They could have fielded a larger squad but the Olympic Committee of Liechtenstein accepted their participation this year on the condition that their delegation would not exceed 50 members.

The Liechtenstein NOC imposed such restriction as the budget for the 2011 Games, which had already been approved, catered for an eight-nation festival.

Clearly, the biggest headache for the organisers was limited space and a problem to accommodate an extra group of athletes and officials for the Games.

Montenegro agreed to their terms. In Liechtenstein, they will have a delegation of 33 in all but expect their squad for the next Games in Luxembourg, in 2013, to be much larger.

“The Games of the Small States of Europe represent a perfect opportunity to introduce our athletes to the European sports scene,” Dusan Simonovic, president of the Montenegro Olympic Committee, told The Times.

“With almost a thousand athletes competing at these Games, it is clear that the reputation of this event has increased over the years. Taking part in the GSSE is a big challenge for the Montenegrin athletes, particularly in individual sports.

“Besides, we are also hopeful that we will be given the opportunity to host these Games in the future. That would also be a huge promotion for our country and a boost for the sporting family in Montenegro.”

Montenegro will be represented in four sport in the LieGames – table tennis, volleyball, track and field and tennis.

Marija Vukovic is expected to win her country’s first gold medal in the GSSE as she starts favourite in the women’s high jump.

With a personal best of 1.91 metres, Vukovic is ranked as one of the best junior high jumpers in the world. She won the World Junior Championships title in Canada last year.

That was an historic achievement for her country as it was the first ever title won by Montenegro in athletics on the international scene.

Long-distance runner Sladana Perunovic will be the only Montenegro athlete competing in track events.

The 27-year-old warmed up for the GSSE in style, finishing second in the Macedonia marathon in a time of 2 hours 53 minutes 15 seconds – a new national record.

Montenegro’s other entry in track and field is Danilo Ristic. He will take part in the shot put and discus events.

In other disciplines, Montenegro are also regarded among the favourites in men’s volleyball next week while in tennis, they will be represented by promising player Ljubomir Celebic.

Irfan Cekic, Luka Bakic, Suncica Rogic and Snezan Culafic carry their country’s hopes in table tennis.