The Liechtenstein Olympic Committee is set to provide a salary and social and financial security ©LOC

The Liechtenstein Olympic Committee (LOC) has created a programme to provide partial employment to six of its leading athletes.

This initiative is set to provide a salary and social and financial security aimed at enabling the selected athletes from 19 applications to focus on their sports.

Tennis player Kathinka von Deichmann, cross-country skier Robin Frommelt, Alpine skiers Nico Gauer and Marco Pfiffner, mountain biker Romano Püntener and racing driver Fabienne Wohlwend are set to be the first athletes from the microstate to benefit from the scheme.

They were chosen based on their commitment to competitive sports and support from their National Federations.

A Selection Committee consisted of a Federation representative, an athlete representative, the head of the Liechtenstein sports office, the LOC performance sports officer and secretary general Beat Wachter.

LOC President Stefan Marxer hailed the programme.

"We are very pleased with the number of applications and the variety of sports," Marxer said.

"It shows that there is a great need.

"We have been able to create something that athletes have been waiting for."

Liechtenstein is the only country to have won medals at the Winter Olympics but not at the Summer Games ©Getty Images
Liechtenstein is the only country to have won medals at the Winter Olympics but not at the Summer Games ©Getty Images

Liechtenstein's Sports Minister Dominique Hasler also believes it will enhance athletes' sporting careers.

"The support of individual athletes, which has been practiced in many other countries for some time, can now be realised thanks to the additional funds in the performance agreement," Hasler said.

"Last fall, the State Parliament voted unanimously in favour of increasing the funds - now they can be used effectively.

"I look forward to the coming successes of all our athletes."

Liechtenstein has competed at every Summer Olympics since Berlin 1936 except Melbourne 1956 and Moscow 1980, although it has yet to win a medal.

At the Winter Games, victories for Hanni Wenzel in women's slalom and giant slalom Alpine skiing at Lake Placid 1980 make it the smallest country by population to have won an Olympic gold medal.

It is also the only country to have won medals at the Winter but not the Summer Olympics.

Princess Nora of Liechtenstein is the longest-serving International Olympic Committee member after Richard Pound of Canada and Pál Schmitt of Hungary became honorary members at the start of this year having reached the age limit of 80.

Princess Nora was elected in 1984.