Preparations are well under way for the return of the International Island Games next year.
Teams from Shetland, the Western Isles and Orkney will go head-to-head with 3,000 athletes from other islands when the tournament is held in Guernsey.
Ahead of the event, Shetland Island Games Association vice-chairwoman Lesley Hutchison and secretary Bob Kerr are this week visiting the island along with delegates from 21 other teams.
The games were started in 1985 on the Isle of Man with only 700 athletes and have now grown – with more than 3,000 participants signed up for 2023.
The last games were held in 2019 in Gibraltar before the pandemic.
Planning
The next event will take place from July 8-14, and will include a programme of 14 sports including archery, athlethics, badminton, cycling, swimming, and triathlon.
Football and golf will make a return to the 2023 event, having been left out in 2019. Indoor bowls – last played in Shetland in 2005 and before that Guernsey in 1987 – are also on the line-up.
Orkney will follow on from Guernsey and host the Island Games in 2025.
Ms Hutchison said: “After the postponement of the 2021 Games, we’re looking forward to 2023 and to hear from the Guernsey Organising Committee on their plans.
“On our return, it will be less than 12 months until the games and our own planning for Shetland Island Games Team will gather pace in the coming months.”
Conversation