IOC keen on the GSSE - Rogge

The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) may not enjoy the same allure as other big-scale events organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but they are still regarded as a significant and valid sporting festival.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, reiterated the international Olympic body's commitment to the GSSE, currently being staged in Malta.

"The IOC is keen on the further development of the GSSE which have come a long way since the first edition was held in San Marino in 1985," Rogge told a news conference at the San Gorg Corinthia Hotel yesterday.

Rogge, on his third visit to Malta, described Monday's opening ceremony - watched by an estimated 10,000 spectators - as splendid.

"Over the years, we at the IOC have realised how important these games are for the participating countries," Rogge said.

"This event gives athletes from the smaller nations an opportunity to compete at a high level. Moreover, the countries hosting the GSSE get a feel of big things. We all know how complicated it is to organise the Olympic Games these days.

"The GSSE certainly leave a great legacy to the host country in terms of sports investment and infrastructure and that is very positive. The IOC will continue to wholeheartedly support the GSSE and we are pleased to know that there are other candidates interested in hosting this event in the future," Rogge remarked.

In his introduction to yesterday's news conference, Lino Farrugia Sacco, president of the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC), said Malta is proud to host Rogge for these Games.

"We are honoured to have Dr Rogge here not only because of his standing as head of the IOC, but also because he has always shown great respect to our organisation and helped us on several occasions.

"Dr Rogge has always striven to safeguard the interests of the smaller nations within the IOC family," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco remarked.

Recent reports in international media claimed that the IOC was considering banning wild cards for the Olympic Games, which would effectively eliminate the participation of athletes from several small federations. Rogge yesterday insisted that was not the case.

"The IOC has never had any plans to remove wild cards from the Olympic Games," Rogge said. "Olympic Games bring together the best athletes in the world but the IOC is also committed to ensuring the universality of the Games. That's why we award wild cards to countries where athletes fail to qualify for the Games.

"What we are saying is that the wild card athletes need to be of a certain level. Their standard has to be adequate because otherwise it's unfair on other athletes, who are potential winners but are left out of their countries' squads because of quota restrictions," Rogge said.

"In order to avoid this situation, we are asking the small countries to submit the names of their potential Olympics athletes two years prior to the event so that, through our Olympic Solidarity scheme, they can benefit from technical expertise either in their country or abroad."

Looking at the broader picture, Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch as head of the IOC in 2001, declared himself very satisfied with the amount of interest events like the Summer and Winter Olympics are prompting in countries the world over.

"Many cities have expressed a bold interest in staging one of our main events and that is obviously very encouraging," Rogge said.

"In a few weeks time, we shall vote for the hosts of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The list of candidates for these Games has been trimmed to three - Vancouver, Salzburg and Pyeongchang.

"There is also a prestigious list of candidates for the 2012 Summer Olympics, with cities like New York, Havana, London, Paris, Moscow, Istanbul, Leipzig and Madrid having already declared their intent to bid for these Games," Rogge said.

This huge interest in these sporting events vindicates the IOC's policy to invest heavily in the staging of these Games, Rogge said.

"This is a clear sign that the IOC's policy of investing 65 per cent of its financial revenue into the organisation of the Games is paying dividends. Such an approach is a must in order to ensure quality from the organisers."

Athens will host the Summer Games next year. Delays in the construction of a number of venues earmarked for the Olympic Games had led to a series of warnings by the IOC, particularly from Rogge himself. The latest update from Rogge was very positive, though.

"Preparations for the Athens Games are progressing at a fast rate and if our Greek friends can maintain this pace, then I'm certain we will have an absolutely great Olympic Games," Rogge said.

Rogge also praised China for their on-going efforts to prepare for the 2008 Olympics, saying that the SARS outbreak has not undermined their preparations.

The fight against doping constitutes one of the main priorities of the IOC. Rogge was confident that the anti-doping code proposed at the recently-held doping conference will be ratified by all sports federations as well as the governments.

Rogge also touched on the IOC's efforts to boost sport in developing countries.

"The IOC redistributes a big share of its income to those countries that are still developing. Ours is a pro-active policy aimed at reducing the gap between the poor and rich countries as much as possible."