Last night's ceremony at the San Marino Stadium marked the official opening of the 17th Games of the Small States of Europe 2017. During the next six days, until June 4, more than a 1,000 athletes from nine European countries with less than a million inhabitants will compete in 13 disciplines, out of which 12 Olympic. Games are being held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The ceremony was attended by the President of this organization himself, Mr. Thomas Bach. In his speech, Bach stated how these Games demonstrate that even small countries can be large, when it comes to the heart and courage. "These Games demonstrate that, regardless of whether you come from a large or small country, what really counts is having a big heart and a great passion for sport. The shared values of friendship and respect for our fellow human beings are what bring us all together. This is Olympic ‘Unity in Diversity’ at its best." The Montenegrin flag was carried by the athlete Sladjana Perunovic. "It's a great honour for me to be chosen to carry the flag. I hope that I will justify the trust given to me. It is an additional motivation for me to give even more and win at least one gold medal. I think I have better chances at ten, than at five kilometres race. I will try continue my winning streak in San Marino", said Perunovic. This is Perunovic's fourth time to attend the Games of the Small States of Europe, where she won six medals so far. At three previous occasions, in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Reykjavik, she was first in races of five and ten kilometres. https://youtu.be/8DOQlVNK3h4 Our country will be represented by 46 athletes in 10 sports – one collective and nine individual sports. Montenegro has been competing at the Games of Small European Countries since 2011, and in the previous three events Montenegrin athletes have won 40 medals – 22 gold, six silver and 12 bronze medals.
