Monaco confirmed as 2007 hosts
Cycling, taekwondo and beachvolley in Andorra's GSSE 2005 programme
It's confirmed... the 2007 edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe will be held in Monaco. GSSE International Committee president Lino Farrugia Sacco presided a meeting on Monday which was attended by representatives of all other seven participating countries.
"During Monday's meeting the committee decided to confirm Monaco as GSSE 2007 hosts. They were uncontested in their bid. We have also received letters of application from representatives of Cyprus and Liechtenstein who are planning to host the 2009 and 2011 Games respectively," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.
He said there is a bright future ahead for the Games.
"This keen interest from other countries to organise one edition or the other is a clear indication of how popular the GSSE have become," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said. "All countries have now understood that these Games are helping in no small measure to boost their sporting culture."
Another important item on the GSSE executive agenda was the list of sport proposed by Andorra for the forthcoming 2005 Games.
Andorra hosted the Games in 1991. They have already submitted a list of disciplines they are seeking to organise. These are - athletics, swimming, basketball, volleyball, shooting, judo, taekwondo, tennis, table-tennis and cycling.
A notable inclusion in the next Games is taekwondo. The beach volley tournament, in the volleyball calendar, also includes the men's and women's tournament. Cycling is the other sport set to make a return in the GSSE. The two disciplines to make way in 2005 will be squash and sailing.
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said that in their first proposal, the Andorrans had asked to omit women's volleyball since they do not have a national team. But the executive committee turned down this request and, on the insistence of the MOC head and the San Marino representatives, the 2005 organisers accepted to hold women's volleyball.
Luxembourg protest
Meanwhile, a protest lodged by the Luxembourg basketball officials was again not upheld on Monday.
The GSSE international technical committee had earlier ruled against the eligibility of a player in the Luxembourg women's squad. The player, of Hungarian origins, could not play in the 2003 Games, it was said, because she did not reside in the country for the past three years as the rules stipulate.
Luxembourg's Olympic Committee contested that decision and on Monday reactivated their case in front of the Jury of Appeal. However, their attempt proved futile again as their arguments were not accepted.