Faster, higher, smaller: Europe's 'tiny Olympics' you've probably never heard of before

For Magaly Meynadier, next month will not only be a shot at redemption following a long recovery, but a "special" chance to don the national jersey and represent her nation.

Meynadier, now 31 and an integral part of the Luxembourg women's basketball squad, still remembers the first time she paraded with fellow athletes while thousands of fans cheered. 

It was at the Games of Small States of Europe (GSSE), a biennial sporting event featuring nine small European sovereign states.

"When it [GSSE] happened in Luxembourg, we were in the big football stadium and we all had to go around and people were cheering for us,” Meynadier tells Euronews, reminiscing about her first games in 2013 as a part of the gold medal-winning side.

Representing one's nation is a great achievement, even more so when it comes to countries with smaller populations, which can be significantly disadvantaged in major global tournaments.

That is the case with Malta, Iceland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Montenegro, Cyprus, Andorra, Monaco, and Meynadier’s Luxembourg – the nine nations that will show up in Malta in May to compete in the 19th GSSE.

Spots at the Olympics come at a premium and the competition to win is fierce. Only a few countries manage to qualify with full squads, and can end up dominating the medals tally.

For nations with a limited talent pool to work with, qualifying for the sporting gala is tough, and reaching the podium even more of a long shot. 

And that's where the GSSE comes in.

Founded by eight independent Olympic committees in 1984, the rules to participate in the games are simple – an Olympic committee has to be independent, a member of the European Olympic Committee and should represent nations with populations of less than a million. 

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