Athletic Association of Small States of Europe

Last updated
Athletic Association of Small States of Europe
Games of the Small States of Europe.PNG
Member nations
Formation1994
Official language
French and English
President
Frank Carreras
Website http://www.aasse.org/
AASSE Team flag
(based on official documents of the European Team Championships 2009 - 3rd League - Sarajevo) AASSE flag provisional.svg
AASSE Team flag
(based on official documents of the European Team Championships 2009 - 3rd League - Sarajevo)

The Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (AASSE) is a transnational organization representing the athletic interests of smaller European nations. It was created following a proposal by the Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg delegations at the Congress of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in Barcelona in 1989.

Contents

The official formation of AASSE took place during the 1994 European Athletic Association Congress in Venice in presence of the EAA president Carl-Olaf Homen. The Constitution Rules were signed by the representatives of Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino.

The association only accepts membership applications from European states with a population under one million. [1] All eligible states are currently members with the exception of Vatican City, which does not participate in international athletic competitions.

Current members

CountryMember since
1Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra Founding Member
2Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus Founding Member
3Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar 2015 [2]
4Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland Founding Member
5Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein Founding Member
6Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Founding Member
7Flag of Malta.svg  Malta Founding Member
8Flag of Monaco.svg  Monaco 2000
9Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 2006
10Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino Founding Member

Competitions

The AASSE states participated as a combined team in the European Cup, which was succeeded by the European Team Championships from 2009. Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro and San Marino now compete separately, with Gibraltar, Monaco and Liechtenstein competing together as the AASSE since 2021.

Since 1985, the AASSE members host and participate in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), a biennial multi-sport competition with twelve men's and women's disciplines. The biennial Championships of the Small States of Europe was first held in 2016, allowing members to compete against each other in even years, following the change in schedule of the European Team Championships. [3]

Related Research Articles

European microstates European sovereign states having very small population or very small land area

The European microstates or European ministates are a set of very small sovereign states in Europe. The term is typically used to refer to the six smallest states in Europe by area: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. Four of these states are monarchies. These states trace their status back to the first millennium or the early second millennium except for Liechtenstein, created in the 17th century.

Games of the Small States of Europe Multi-sport event

The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) is a biennial multi-sport event, launched by the Republic of San Marino, organized by and featuring the National Olympic Committees of nine European small states since 1985. The Games are held at the end of May or beginning of June and feature competition in nine Summer Olympic sports.

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2005 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 2005 Games of the Small States of Europe, or the XIth Games of the Small States of Europe, were held in Andorra la Vella, Andorra from May 30 to June 4, 2005. Andorra la Vella previously hosted the games in 1991. Administration of the games was done jointly by the Andorran government and the Andorran Olympic Committee. Joan Enric Vives Sicília, one of the Co-Princes of Andorra, declared the games open on May 30.

The 2003 Games of the Small States of Europe, or the Xth Games of the Small States of Europe, were held in Valletta, Malta from June 2 to June 7, 2003. Valletta previously hosted the games in 1993. Malta was not due to host the Games again until 2009, but a strong bid helped them to gain the games six years early. Administration of the games was done jointly by the Maltese Ministry of Education and the Malta Olympic Committee. The games were declared open by President Guido de Marco on June 2.

2009 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 2009 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XIIIth Games of the Small States of Europe were held in June 2009 among the participant nations in the Games of the Small States of Europe. The opening ceremonies were on June 1, and the closing ceremonies on June 6. The games were held in Cyprus, twenty years after the first Games held there in 1989. Malta was scheduled for 2009 in the rotation, but were selected to host the games early in 2003. The organizing committee estimates the cost at 1.5 million euros for all events.

The 14th Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XIVth Games of the Small States of Europe were held between 30 May – 4 June 2011 in multiple municipalities in Liechtenstein. The Games featured competition by the 9 members of the GSSE in nine sports, with three of the sports featuring seven disciplines. Events were located in nine different municipalities in the country.

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The 2007 Games of the Small States of Europe, or the XIIth Games of the Small States of Europe, were held in Monaco from 4 June to 9 June 2007. The Games administration was done jointly by the Monegasque government and Monegasque Olympic Committee. Monaco has previously hosted the games in 1987. Prince Albert II officially opened the Games.

2013 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 2013 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XV Games of the Small States of Europe, were held in Luxembourg City and surrounding areas. The slogan, as well as the logo, was "Are you ready for the Games?" The opening ceremony was held at the Stade Josy Barthel on 27 May; the closing ceremony was held at the Neumünster Abbey on 1 June.

2015 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 2015 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XVI Games of the Small States of Europe, were held in Iceland. The slogan was "Natural Power". Icelandic singer Paul Oscar sang during the opening ceremony.

Andorra mens national basketball team

The Andorra national basketball team is the national team of Andorra. The national team has always represented in the EuroBasket Division C. It also takes part well in Games of the Small States of Europe.

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The 2016 European Athletics Championships was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, between 6 and 10 July 2016. It was the first time the Netherlands hosted the event.

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The 2017 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XVII Games of the Small States of Europe, took place in San Marino from 29 May to 3 June 2017.

Basketball at the 2017 Games of the Small States of Europe was held from 30 May to 3 June 2017.

2017 European Athletics U20 Championships International athletics championship event

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The 2021 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XIX Games of the Small States of Europe, is a cancelled sporting event, previously scheduled to take place in Andorra la Vella, the capital city of Andorra. Andorra has previously held the 1991 and the 2005 installments of the Games. The 2021 games were cancelled due to the rescheduling of the 2020 Summer Olympics in July 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Andorra looking to instead host the 2025 games.

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The Championships of the Small States of Europe (CSSE) is a biennial competition in outdoor track and field organised by the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (AASE). First held in 2016, the competition is held on alternate years with the Games of the Small States of Europe.

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References

  1. Rules of the Constitution of the Athletic Association of the Small States of Europe Athletic Association Small States of Europe
  2. "Frank Carreras elected President of the Athletic Association of the Small States of Europe (AASSE)". Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  3. Malta looking for a championship legacy. European Athletics (2016-03-07). Retrieved 2019-08-04.