NICOSIA, 29 May 2009 –
If the the top three countries in the medals rankings of
the Games of the Small States of Europe got to climb on
their own podium, then Monaco is still waiting for its
flag to be hoisted on the mast. Traditionally, Monaco is
ranked 4th (seven times), behind the "giants"
of the Games, Iceland, Cyprus and Luxembourg.
Twice, though, in 1993 and 2007, the Principality came
close fulfilling its dream of a third-place finish,
falling just one medal short of Luxembourg on both
occasions.
Monaco's inability to
aim for more than a proud presence and a respectable
medal ranking should not surprise anyone, as the
Principality is indeed the smaller country of Europe,
with an area of less than two square kilometers and a
population of 34,000.
Having stated that,
Monaco's general presence throughout the years in the
GSSE has to be considered positive and successful.
Nobody can claim that those 319 medals in twelve GSSEs
is not a good number, as it places the country at the
4th place overall, way behind third-placed Luxemburg,
but also respectively ahead of 5th-placed San Marino.
In the last few years,
Monaco has made some improvement. For the first time in
history, the country won a double-digit number of gold
medals (11) in 2005. In 2007, the Principality hosted
the Games, winning 19 gold and 52 in total.
That great performance
of 2007 is difficult to be surpassed in CYPRUS 2009, as
Monaco will be competing "away" from home. A more
realistic target would be at least 17 gold medals, which
will bring Monaco's tally to total of 100 overall.
|
MONACO AT
THE GSSE |
|
. |
Rank |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
|
I |
1985 |
7th |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
II |
1987 |
4th |
6 |
3 |
11 |
20 |
|
III |
1989 |
4th |
5 |
7 |
9 |
21 |
|
IV |
1991 |
4th |
8 |
13 |
14 |
35 |
|
V |
1993 |
4th |
7 |
13 |
10 |
30 |
|
VI |
1995 |
5th |
3 |
4 |
17 |
24 |
|
VII |
1997 |
4th |
7 |
6 |
14 |
27 |
|
VIII |
1999 |
6th |
5 |
9 |
6 |
20 |
|
IX |
2001 |
6th |
5 |
8 |
14 |
27 |
|
X |
2003 |
5th |
7 |
7 |
10 |
24 |
|
XI |
2005 |
4th |
11 |
8 |
18 |
37 |
|
XII |
2007 |
4th |
19 |
16 |
17 |
52 |
|
Total |
4th |
83 |
94 |
142 |
319 |
MG/MH/CD
