The Liechtenstein national anthem was played five times at the Games of the Small States of Europe in Andorra, each time because an athlete from Liechtenstein stood at the top of the pedestal. Liechtenstein athletes returned home with a total of 13 medals. The next Small States Games will be held in Monaco in 2007. After the “LIE-Games 1999”, Liechtenstein will host the “small Olympics” for the second time in 2011.

The 37 Liechtenstein athletes who traveled to the 11th Games of the Small States of Europe exceeded expectations. They achieved no fewer than 13 medals in the 10 disciplines that were offered this time. Gold medals were awarded to Oliver Geissmann in target shooting, Dimitri Jiriakov in cycling (road race), Ulrike Kaiser in judo, Marc Ruhe in cycling (mountain bike), and the duo Oliver Indra/Matthias Wachter in beach volleyball.

Klaus Tschütscher, Minister of Sports, Leo Kranz, President of the Liechtenstein Olympic Sports Association (LOSV), and Alex Hermann, Secretary-General of the LOSV, congratulated the successful participants upon their return. As the LOSV president emphasized at the reception for the athletes, 7 medals had been expected. That 13 medals were attained, including 5 medals in different disciplines, he attributes to the broad promotion of sports in Liechtenstein.

The sports world of Liechtenstein is now optimistically looking forward to the 2007 Small States Games in Monaco. Two years remain to prepare the athletes for these challenges. Since each host country exercises certain discretion in choosing disciplines, there will be a number of changes compared to Andorra. In Monaco in 2007, cycling (road race and mountain bike), squash, and perhaps also beach volleyball will be missing. The disciplines will include target shooting, swimming, athletics, judo, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and table tennis. The inclusion of sailing, bocce, and gymnastics is also planned.

Liechtenstein is responsible for organizing the Small States Games in 2011. For the first time in 1999, Liechtenstein ventured to organize the “Games of the Small States of Europe”, which alternate among the eight European small states: San Marino, Monaco, Cyprus, Andorra, Malta, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The “LIE-Games 1999” were a full success and set high standards for the organization of future events. As Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the IOC, emphasized at the time: “The goal of organizing such regional sports events is to build a better and more peaceful world for young people, by conveying Olympic values such as friendship, solidarity, and fair play.”

In the framework of the Small States Games, a conference of the sports ministers of the participating states also took place on 31 May in Andorra. Minister of Sports Klaus Tschütscher represented Liechtenstein at the conference, the focus of which was the fight against doping in sports. The conference stressed the importance of cooperation between politics and sports associations, for the purpose of establishing clear legal foundations for the fight against doping. Sports Minister Klaus Tschütscher underscored the efforts of Liechtenstein in fighting doping and pledged Liechtenstein’s support at the international level in combating doping abuse.