Changes approved to format

Delegates from the eight GSSE Olympic Movements yesterday approved amendments to the rules on the calendar of sport for future Games.

In another development, the International Bureau announced the list of host nations for the Games until 2015.

The meeting, traditionally held on the opening day of the Games ever since their inception in 1985, discussed primarily a proposal by the Technical Commission aimed at giving the Games a more stable base in its list of sport for future GSSE editions.

At present, the host country is obliged to organise competitions in athletics and swimming and another team sport.

However, the Technical Commission, which also includes MOC Director of Sport Pippo Psaila, suggested that the list of compulsory sport be broadened to six to give countries a better and longer-term development plan.

They also proposed that the calendar of sport be announced at least four years in advance.

Sources told The Times yesterday that delegates reached a consensus on the matter and added that any country looking to include a non-Olympic sport in its programme must have the backing of at least five countries.

The new format of the Games will be adopted as early as the next edition in Cyprus in 2009 and the next one in Liechtenstein two years later.

The six compulsory sport in the list for future editions of the Games now are tennis, table tennis, swimming, athletics, judo and shooting, besides basketball or volleyball, or both.

Farrugia Sacco appointment

Also during yesterday's Bureau meeting, Maltese Olympic Committee president Lino Farrugia Sacco was elected to form part of the Jury of Appeal of the Monaco Games along with Mark Theisen, of the Luxembourg NOC.

Kiki Lazarides, the president of the Cypriot Olympic Committee, announced that the calendar of sport in his country in two years' time will comprise 10 disciplines.

These will be: athletics, basketball, gymnastics (rhythmic and artistic), judo, sailing, shooting (target and clay), swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.

The list signals a return for clay shooting events, one of the pillars of Malta's success in GSSE sport, and women's basketball. Rhythmic gymnastics will be introduced for the first time in 2009.

The Cyprus Games will be held between June 1 and 6, 2009.

Liechtenstein have also revealed their list of sport for 2011.

This will be made up of cycling (road and mountain bike), judo, shooting, squash, swimming, athletics, tennis, table tennis and volleyball.

The Games in Liechtenstein will take place between May 30 and June 4, 2011.

Meanwhile, the International Bureau yesterday announced the host GSSE nations for 2013 and 2015. These will be Luxembourg and Iceland respectively.