Status active Begins 24 June 2017 Frequency biannual | Genre sports event Ends 30 June 2017 Location(s) various | |
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Organiser International Island Games Association | ||
The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are an international multi-sports event organised by the International Island Games Association. The most recent games were held in Jersey (except the gymnastics, which were held on a different island) from 27 June to 3 July 2015, with around 3000 competitors from 24 competing islands or island groups competing in 14 sports.
Contents
History
The Island Games began in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, as part of the Isle of Man International Year of Sport, and were intended to be a one-off sporting celebration only. Geoffrey Corlett, who became the first Games Director, not only contacted the islands surrounding the United Kingdom, but also encouraged the countries of Iceland and Malta, the territories of Faroe Islands, Greenland, Saint Helena, the Channel Islands and others to participate.
Initially, fifteen islands with 600 competitors and officials took part in seven sports, with the total cost of staging the Games being put at £70,000. The track and field events were held on an eight-lane grass track, a far cry from the current games, which now use synthetic tracks in stadiums capable of holding thousands of spectators. The Games of 1985 were so successful that organisers decided to hold a similar event two years later. The games have grown from strength to strength with limits now in place over the number of teams, currently 24 and the number of sports at each games, currently 14. Sark could be considered the most successful island, their population of 600 having acquired 20 medals by 2015, one for every 30 people.
Game venues
Guernsey put in a bid for the 2021 games following the Faroe Islands withdrawal from hosting. The bid was approved in July 2016.
Orkney have indicated that they are willing to play host for the 2023 games.
Ynys Môn are contemplating a bid for the 2025 games, the bid being mentioned by the MP for Ynys Môn in the House of Commons. So are the Isle of Man.
Participation
A total of twenty-seven islands have participated in the Island Games, of which eleven islands have participated in every Island Games.
Islands marked in grey are no longer members of the Island Games.
Sports
The host country chooses between 12 and 14 different sports for their games from this list: