The Cyprus Olympic Committee (COC) (Κυπριακή Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή) was established in 1974 and in 1979 was recognised by the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

. It is responsible for promoting the Olympic ideals on the island and for ensuring that Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 is represented with athletes at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games as well as at other regional and continental Games which have the patronage of the IOC.

Members of the Committee are the 35 Federations, which elect the Executive Council composed of the Chairman and 8 members. Mr. Ouranios Ioannides is the new head of the Committee replacing long time chairman Kikis Lazarides.

The COC organised the 1989 Games of the Small States of Europe

1989 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 3rd Games of the Small States of Europe were held in 1989 by the Republic of Cyprus. The majority of events including the opening and closing ceremonies took place at the Makario Stadium the whilst the indoor events were held at the Lefkotheo indoor hall....

, and the 2009 games

2009 Games of the Small States of Europe

The 2009 Games of the Small States of Europe, also known as the XIIIth Games of the Small States of Europe were held in June 2009 among the participant nations in the Games of the Small States of Europe. The opening ceremonies were on June 1, and the closing ceremonies on June 6. The games were...

20 years later.