ATR First: San Marino Shines during Games of Small States of Europe

(ATR) Organizers of the Small States of Europe Games tell Around the Ringsthe event is a success despite an economic crisis plaguing San Marino.

Five days of competition conclude on Saturday in the 61 square-kilometer Republic of San Marino, nestled just east of the Apennine Mountains in central Italy. The biennial multi-sport event is made for the European states with less than one million citizens. For the 2017 edition, nine National Olympic Committees sent athletes to San Marino.

San Marino NOC president Gian Primo Giardi said that hosting the Games has been a privilege, albeit difficult considering the microstate’s economic challenges.

"All of the delegations tell me that are very satisfied with the organization," Giardi tells ATR. "We had expectations to satisfy all the requests of the delegations and the NOC presidents from the eight other countries.

"We have a financial crisis in San Marino at this moment – about the budget of the Games it is 2.6 million Euros, which is 20-percent less than the previous Games in Luxembourg," he said.

"All of the population has supported the organization," he said, noting that there are about 700 volunteers contributing. "It is a big number for a small state like San Marino."

Giardi said that after three of five days, competitions were going well.

"For San Marino to host 900 athletes and 1,700 accreditations it is the most important event in San Marino, and for me, the most important highlight of my term in office," said Giardi, a former basketball player, coach and head of the San Marino basketball federation.

The 2017 edition of the Games has featured 13 sporting disciplines and 131 events. Twelve competition venues are in use.

Athletes are competing for medals in athletics, archery, basketball beach volleyball, bowls, cycling & mountain biking, judo, swimming, skeet shooting, tennis, table tennis and volleyball.

San Marino also hosted the inaugural edition of the event, first staged in 1985. The 2017 competition also marks the third time that San Marino and the iconic Mount Titano have hosted the Games.

"The Games of the Small States of Europe started because we needed a competition for our athletes so they can compete on the international level and develop friendships around nine countries with a population of less than one million," said Giardi, who has led the San Marino NOC since 2013.

Giardi said it was an honor to have IOC president Thomas Bach attend the opening ceremony at San Marino Stadium on May 29.

"There were about 7,000 people in the stadium, which is about 25% of our population," Giardi said. "All the venues have also been filled, so this has been great for us."

Giardi says hosting the Games has been a big step forward for the small San Marino NOC and he expects that the state’s 127 athletes competing will prosper in future sporting endeavors.

"We have some great shooters and we will work hard to compete at our best for Tokyo 2020," he said.

After 85 of 131 events, Luxembourg leads the medals table with 65 medals and 29 golds. Cyprus is second with 46 medals and Iceland stands third with 45 medals. Host San Marino has amassed 21 medals, four gold.

Medals in seven sports are still up for grabs Saturday, including 15 athletics events. Gold medals will also be awarded in basketball, tennis, volleyball and the cycling road race.

The GSSE flag will be passed from San Marino to Montenegro, the host of the 2019 edition, as the Games wrap up with the closing ceremony at San Marino Stadium on Saturday.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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