Games of the Small States of Europe

Five balls from different sports shown in flight alongside a projectile flying in from the left, with a playing field and lines in the background. The occasion 'JOCS DELS PETITS ESTATS D'EUROPA' runs along the upper edge. The issuing state 'ANDORRA' and the year '2025' are shown beneath the design.

The Jeux des Petits États d'Europe — the Games of the Small States of Europe — are a biennial multi-sport event launched in 1985 on the initiative of the Andorran Olympic Committee. The idea behind it was pragmatic: small states such as San Marino, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Malta, Cyprus and Andorra are structurally at a disadvantage in major international competitions — too small a population, too shallow an athlete pool. With their own tournament format, these countries created a framework in which competitive sport is possible on equal footing. Since then, the tournament has become a fixed feature on the calendar of small-state sport in Europe, with host venues in all member countries and disciplines ranging from athletics and swimming to ball sports.

Andorra holds a special place within this format: the Pyrenean principality was not only a founding member but has also hosted the tournament several times and has regularly achieved notable results in the medal table — remarkable given its population of around 80,000. Sport also carries social weight in Andorra: the country, shaped by its distinctive geography, has traditionally produced winter sports athletes but is increasingly investing in summer disciplines as well. With its 2025 2-euro commemorative coin, Andorra marks the 40th anniversary of the Games of the Small States of Europe, underlining the importance the tournament holds for the country's national sporting identity.