Launch of the Games of the Small States of Europe 2023

The Games of the Small States of Europe, the biennial multisport event, will be returning
to Malta in 2023, two decades after it was last hosted on our island.
This was officially announced by The Minister for Education and Sport, the Maltese
Olympic Committee and SportMalta earlier on today at Cottonera Sport Complex.
The launch took place in a hybrid format and welcomed several Maltese medallists from
the 1993 and 2003 editions. Joining the event virtually were GSSE Member States’
Presidents and Chefs de Mission.

The GSSE feature a core of six individual sports and two team sports. Each organising
committee may add a maximum of two other Olympic sports or one Olympic Sport and
one non-Olympic Sport.

Maltese Olympic Committee President and Games Chairperson Mr Julian Pace Bonello
explained that preparations for this sporting bonanza are well underway. “The Maltese
Olympic Committee has been working even more closely with involved Federations,
ensuring the require support is given and that preparations proceed as smoothly as
possible. We hope that these Games will make the country proud, in both the way they
will be organized as well as the results achieved and will also serve as a catalyst to
inspire up and coming athletes to keep working hard for their dreams”
In 2023, Malta will be presenting a sports programme which includes Athletics,
Basketball, Judo, Rugby 7’s, Sailing, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table tennis,
Tennis.

“The Maltese Olympic Committee, SportMalta and the Ministry of Education and Sport
are working in perfect synergy towards this event. A local organising committee was
chosen and besides sport experts, there are experts in various fields that will ensure that
the Games will be a success. In the months to come we will engage with the public so
that the Games will not only will be for athletes and officials taking part but for the society
at large” remarked, Mark Cutajar, GSSE Organising Committee Chairperson.

The Maltese Olympic Committee also announced that it will shortly be launching a
Games’ Mascot and Logo Design competition. The competition calls for the design of a
logo and mascot that will be used as part of the Games of the Small States of Europe
branding.

Closing the event was the Minister for Education and Sport, Dr Clifton Grima who said
that “Government is really proud to support the Maltese Olympic Committee in these
Games. We invested both in infrastructure to increase the number of high-level venues,
but for the first time we also invested in human resources. €5m million was passed to
SportMalta to facilitate the training of athletes, engaging professional coaches and their
sport entourage” Grima concluded by saying that he looks forward to enter in
discussions with his counterparts in the other eight countries for sport in small states to
flourish further.

The Games of the Small States of Europe will take place between the 28th May and June 3rd 2023.