Formation 1994 President Frank Carreras | Official language French and English | |
 | ||
The Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (AASSE) is a transnational organization representing the athletic interests of smaller European nations. It was created following a proposal by the Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg delegations at the Congress of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in Barcelona in 1989.
The official formation of AASSE took place during the 1994 European Athletic Association Congress in Venice in presence of the EAA president Carl-Olaf Homen. The Constitution Rules were signed by the representatives of Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino.
The association only accepts membership applications from European states with a population under one million. All eligible states are currently members with the exception of Vatican City, which does not participate in international athletic competitions.
Competitions
The AASSE states played as a combined team in the European Cup. With its replacement, the European Team Championships, in 2009 Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg and Montenegro compete separately with San Marino, Monaco and Liechtenstein competing together as the AASSE.
The AASSE members also host and participate in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), a biennial multi-sport competition with twelve men's and women's disciplines. The Games were held in Iceland in 2015 and will be held in San Marino in 2017.