GSSE general secretary Mathias Raymond made it clear that he has no problems with seeing foreign athletes taking part in the Games of the Small States of Europe, provided each country abides by the participation regulations.
The build-up to the 2025 Games has been marred by controversy as Malta table tennis champion Gabriel Grixti accused the Maltese Olympic Committee of Grixti of ignoring its own selection criteria and discriminating against Maltese athletes when selecting four foreign-based athletes in their line-up for the Games.
According to the GSSE regulations, players who hold a passport of a country or reside in that country for three years and over are eligible to play in the Games.
Speaking to the Times of Malta at the end of the General Assembly in La Vella, Raymond told the Times of Malta that the games have clear regulations over foreign players’ selection eligibility criteria and said once every NOC respects the rules, he has no problems in having them competing in the Games.
“The Games of the Small States of Europe have very clear regulations regarding eligibility of foreign athletes; there are two articles on the subject,” Raymond said.
“We have adopted some improvements on the regulations to clarify the situation, and the participating countries must follow these regulations. Once they comply, the GSSE Bureau has no problem with it.
“At the end of the day, it is the choice of the National Olympic Committees to decide how many foreign athletes are included in their contingent. Everyone has their vision… but as I said, the most important thing for us is that rules are followed by everyone.”
The Games of the Small States of Europe were created in 1985 following an initiative taken by former Maltese Olympic Committee official Bertie Muscat, and since then, the Games have grown significantly, seeing the number of participants move from just over 200 in the first edition to over 900 in the 2025 festival this week.
The GSSE General Secretary said that during the 40-year journey undertaken by the participating countries, important milestones have been fulfilled.
“It has been a long journey since the first edition in 1985,” the Monegasque official said.
“These Games have been created to bring the small European nations together, and 40 years later, this goal has been achieved as we not only managed to create a community among the nine participating countries, but we also succeeded in stepping up the level of sport in each nation.
“Today, we have seen a transition as our athletes from competing in the GSSE are now taking part in the Olympic Games. And this has been achieved as they used these Games, held every two years, to improve their level of performance and confront themselves with international opposition.
“Today we have NOCs from our family winning medals at the Olympics and others who are qualifying on their merit for the biggest sporting event on the planet.
“We can see the progress made by the federation and NOCs to become professional and provide high-standard competitions.
“We have more and more participants, and we are proud of each athlete who qualifies for the Games. Another very important element is the increase in the number of young athletes taking part, and that is something that we are proud about, as they represent the future of all participating nations.
“All countries, today, have the resources to bring their athletes for the GSSE, doing their job to promote sport and inspiring youngsters and that is very important.”
Raymond admitted that the growing number of athletes participating is inevitably creating a financial headache for organisers to host the Games.
“The participating numbers are growing with every edition held and while it’s a good sign that these Games are still alive, on the other hand, it is putting more financial pressure on organisers as costs are always increasing.
“Discussion has started two years ago to try and find a solution to keep the level of competition high but at the same time keep in control the number of participants.
“A new GSSE technical commission has just been elected and this will be their no.1 item on the agenda for the next two years. If you look at future sports programmes it reflects this drive of keeping moderate numbers but at the same time, maintain high-level of competition.
“I have no doubt they will handle the task very well.”
Note: The 2025 GSSE coverage is being brought to you by the National Lottery.
