Top delegates from the GSSE countries’ National Olympic Committees convened at the Centro Storico of San Marino for the traditional Bureau meeting, yesterday.
The Maltese Olympic Committee was represented by president Julian Pace Bonello and general secretary Joe Cassar. The top items on the meeting agenda were the next two editions of the Games – in Montenegro and Andorra.
In 2019, Montenegro will be hosting the Games for the first time since joining the GSSE list six years ago. The Balkan country has left a good impression so far despite fielding a relatively small contingent, winning 40 medals, 22 gold, in three appearances.
Boris Sekulic, administrative president of the Montenegro Olympic Committee, told the GSSE Bureau yesterday that preparations for the 2019 Games were well advanced, adding that all sport in the calendar will be held in three different cities – Bar, Podgorica and Budra.
Sekulic also said there will be minor changes to the programme with the majority of competitions in San Marino this week to be repeated in two years’ time. Archery and cycling lost their place in the 2019 GSSE (May 27-June 1) but bowls will be held again.
The list of sports for Montenegro consists of athletics, volleyball, basketball, beach volley, judo, tennis, table tennis, swimming, shooting (indoor and outdoor) and bowls.
Sekulic said that after a request from the GSSE Bureau it was agreed that Budra will host the athletes village.
“We have agreed to hold almost the entire sports programme for 2019 in Budra,” Sekulic confirmed.
“The only competitions that will be held elsewhere will be track and field, pencilled for Bar, and swimming which will be held in the capital city of Podgorica.”
Meanwhile, it was also revealed that the Andorra NOC has decided to further expand the programme of sport for 2021.
In fact, they are expected to feature competitions that have never featured in the Games before including taekwondo, karate and basketball 3x3.
Cycling will be reinstated and gymnastics, omitted from the San Marino GSSE, will also return in four years’ time.
Yesterday, it was decided that the GSSE Bureau will convene for an extraordinary assembly in Zagreb, Croatia, later this year where they will look at ways to improve the rules of participation for athletes in GSSE.
Pace Bonello, along with the delegates from Cyprus, had requested that the foreign athletes eligibility rule be revised for the Games to maintain the spirit of competition among the small nations.
At the end of the meeting, Jean Pierre Shoebel was confirmed as president of the Technical Commission. San Marino’s Angelo Vicini held his post as general secretary.
Apart from the GSSE Bureau, the sports ministers of the GSSE countries also met in San Marino yesterday.
They agreed to increase co-operation between their national institutions and the National Olympic Committees.
“We deem it a priority to work out a specific platform for sustainability in the period between 2017 and 2019,” a joint statement said.
“The GSSE sports ministers are committed to implement this strategy through periodical discussions between representatives of the GSSE countries.”