Island Games

This article is about the international multi-sports event. For the Canadian soccer tournament, see 2020 Canadian Premier League season.

Island Games
Genre	Multi-sports event
Frequency	Biennial
Location(s)	Various
Inaugurated	1985 (1985)
Most recent	2023 Island Games
Next event	2025 Island Games
Participants	~ 2,000
Organised by	IIGA
Sponsor	NatWest International
Website	Official IIGA website

The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent different island communities (with one team from the peninsula of Gibraltar) which are IIGA members. Currently all competitor teams represent non-sovereign territories of European nations—some within European waters and some further overseas.

The most recent edition was the 2023, which took place in Guernsey with around 2,200 competitors from 24 islands or island groups participating in 14 sports. The next games will be hosted by Orkney in 2025.

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 for the number of teams, currently, and the number of sports at each Games, currently 12 to 14. Sark could be considered the most successful island, their population of 600 having acquired 20 medals by 2015, one for every 30 people.

NatWest International has been the main sponsor of the Games since 1999. In April 2018, they signed a deal extending their sponsorship until at least 2021. In 2020 Natwest International confirmed the Guernsey games, originally scheduled for 2021, but delayed to 2023, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic would be the last tournament they would be sponsoring. At the time the replacement sponsor had not been confirmed.

A traditional symbol of the games was started in 1991 when Åland asked all teams to bring some water from their islands, which was then mixed in a fountain. All future games has water from the previous fountain added to water from each island competing in the new games, creating a symbol of "mixing together".

Games venues

Faroese stamp to the 1989 Island Games: Rowing

Football

Year	Games	Host island	Numbers of participants	Athletes	Sports
1985	I	Isle of Man	15	700	7
1987	II	Guernsey	18	1,049	9
1989	III	Faroe Islands	15	800	11
1991	IV	Åland	17	1,500	13
1993	V	Isle of Wight	19	1,448	14
1995	VI	Gibraltar	18	1,214	13
1997	VII	Jersey	20	~2,000	13
1999	VIII	Gotland	22	1,858	14
2001	IX	Isle of Man	22	2,020	15
2003	X	Guernsey	23	2,129	15
2005	XI	Shetland	24	1,658	14
2007	XII	Rhodes	25	2,343	14
2009	XIII	Åland	24	2,286	14
2011	XIV	Isle of Wight	24	2,311	14
2013	XV	Bermuda	22	1,296	14
2015	XVI	Jersey	24	2,430	14
2017	XVII	Gotland	23	2,333	14
2019	XVIII	Gibraltar	22	1,700	14
2021	Postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic
2023	XIX	Guernsey	24	2,194	14
2025	XX	Orkney			13
2027	XXI	Faroe Islands
2029	XXII	Isle of Man			14

Guernsey put in a bid for the 2021 Games following the Faroe Islands' withdrawal from hosting. The bid was approved in July 2016. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Games were cancelled and rescheduled for 2023 with Guernsey still as hosts, with future hosts pushed out by two years as well.

Orkney will host the 2025 Games. They were awarded the right to host on 7 July 2018 at the AGM in Gibraltar.

The Isle of Man made an official bid to host the Island Games in 2029 in July 2023.

In May 2018, the Parliament of the Faroe Islands guaranteed €1,500,000 towards hosting the Games in or before 2029. The Faroe Islands is seen as the preferred bidder for the 2031 games.

In August 2018 it was reported that the Falkland Islands are considering hosting the Games in 2033.

In December 2023 it was announced that the Faroe Islands would replace Ynys Môn as the hosts of the 2027 games due to funding having been directed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Faroe Islands, who had submitted a bid for the 2031 games, expressed a desire to host the games early and were selected as a replacement for Ynys Môn.

Participation

A total of 28 islands, island groups or territories have participated in the Island Games; eleven of these have participated in every Island Games.

Europe

Greenland

Bermuda

Cayman Islands

Saint Helena

Falkland Islands

Prince Edward Island

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Locations of Island Games teams

Åland

Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark

Faroe Islands

Frøya

Gibraltar

Gotland

Hitra

Isle of Man

Isle of Wight

Menorca

Orkney

Saaremaa

Shetland

Western Isles

Gozo

Iceland

Malta

Rhodes

Anglesey (Ynys Môn)

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Locations of Island Games teams in Europe

Medals

Every island has won at least 4 medals with Alderney the only island awaiting their first Gold.

Island Games participants and total medals won (to 2023)

Island(s)	Country (and status)	Population	Years	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Åland	Finland (autonomous province)	28,666	1985–	191	200	190.5	581.5
Alderney	United Kingdom (island; part of the crown dependency (Bailiwick) of Guernsey)	1,900	1987, 1993–	0	2	3	5
Bermuda	United Kingdom (overseas territory)	64,200	2003–	107	115	119	341
Cayman Islands	United Kingdom (overseas territory)	56,700	1999–	133	107	91	331
Falkland Islands	United Kingdom (overseas territory)	2,900	1993–	2	11	13	26
Faroe Islands	Denmark (autonomous territory)	49,700	1985–	269	255	301	825
Frøya	Norway (municipality island)	4,300	1985–	1	1	2	4
Gibraltar	United Kingdom (overseas territory)	30,000	1987–	77.5	86.5	119	283
Gotland	Sweden (county)	57,200	1985–	336.5	245.5	252	834
Gozo	Malta (island)	39,300	2023–	1	2	1	4
Greenland	Denmark (autonomous territory)	56,081	1989–	24	31	38.5	93.5
Guernsey	United Kingdom (island; part of the crown dependency (Bailiwick) of Guernsey)	65,800	1985–	536	549	534	1619
Hitra	Norway (municipality island)	4,250	1985–1989, 1997–	4	10	15	28
Isle of Man	United Kingdom (crown dependency)	84,500	1985–	530	495	460.5	1485.5
Isle of Wight	United Kingdom (English county)	138,400	1985–	203	208	220	621
Jersey	United Kingdom (crown dependency, Bailiwick)	105,500	1985–	634	625	560.3	1819.3
Menorca	Spain (island)	94,400	2007–	57	57	71	185
Orkney	United Kingdom (Scottish council area)	21,300	1985–	23	41	44	108
Saaremaa	Estonia (county)	31,000	1991–	126	129	101.5	356.5
Saint Helena	United Kingdom (overseas territory)	4,250	1985–1987, 1997–	3	3	5	11
Sark	United Kingdom (island part of the crown dependency of Guernsey)	600	1987–2011, 2015–	3	17	7	27
Shetland	United Kingdom (Scottish council area)	23,200	1985–	62	83	113	258
Western Isles	United Kingdom (Scottish council area)	27,400	2005–	28	26	27	81
Ynys Môn	United Kingdom (Welsh principal area)	69,700	1985–	43	42	57	142
Iceland		329,000	1985–1997	50	45	40.7	135.7
Malta		445,000	1985–1987	6	2	2	10
Prince Edward Island	Canada (province)	140,000	1991–2007	6	6	9	21
Rhodes	Greece (island; Regional Unit (Περιφερειακή ενότητα))	115,500	1999–2011, 2015	53	52	45	150

Islands marked in grey are no longer members of the IIGA and so cannot compete at the Island Games.

Participation in other games

Of the 24 current IIGA members, two (Bermuda and the Cayman Islands) have competed in their own right at the Olympic Games.

Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey and St. Helena have each sent teams to the Commonwealth Games.

Olympic athletes

Islanders who have gone on to participate in Olympic Games events include:

• Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man) — cycling (Olympic silver medal winner)
• Alastair Chalmers (Guernsey) - 400m hurdles - Paris 2024
• Cameron Chalmers (Guernsey) - 4 × 400m - Tokyo 2020
• Dale Garland (Guernsey) - 4 × 400m - Beijing 2008
• Rebecca Heyliger (Bermuda) - swimming
• Pál Joensen (Faroe Islands) — swimming (World Championship bronze medal winner)
• Lee Merrien (Guernsey) - Marathon - London 2012
• Cydonie Mothersille (Cayman Islands) — 200m (World Championship bronze medal winner)
• Kelly Sotherton (Isle of Wight) — heptathlon and 400m (Olympic bronze medal winner)
• Mattias Sunneborn (Gotland) — long jump and 200m (World Indoor Championship silver medal winner)
• Albert Torres (Menorca) — cycling (World Championship gold medal winner)
• Andres Lauk (Saaremaa) − cycling − Atlanta 1996

Sports

The host country chooses between 12 and 14 different sports for their games from this list:

Sport	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	XIII	XIV	XV	XVI	XVII	XVIII	XIX	Total		XX	XXI
Archery		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	16		Y
Athletics	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	19		Y
Badminton	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	18		Y
Basketball								Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Bowls (Indoor‡, Lawn∞, or Ten Pin*)		Y‡						Y*			Y‡							Y*	Y‡	5		Y∞
Cycling	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	18		Y
Football	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	17		Y
Golf				Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	14		Y
Gymnastics			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	Y		12		Y
Judo			Y	Y	Y	Y						Y	Y					Y		7
Sailing (may include Sailboarding*)					Y*	Y*	Y*	Y	Y	Y*	Y*	Y*	Y*	Y*	Y*	Y*		Y	Y	14		Y
Shooting	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	19		Y
Squash											Y			Y	Y			Y		4		Y
Swimming	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	19		Y
Table Tennis		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	17
Tennis				Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	15
Triathlon									Y	Y		Y			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8		Y
Volleyball (may include Beach Volleyball*)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y*	Y	Y	Y*	Y*	Y	Y*		18
Total sports	7	9	11	13	14	13	13	14	15	15	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14			13

Notably, the Island Games' football tournament is one of the most well-established tournaments of non-FIFA international football.

External links

• International Island Games Association
• Previous Results in Island Games