| Sports Men and Women - Your Islands Need You |
26 May 2003 |
The hunt is on for sports men and women with Western Isles connections for inclusion in the squads for the Xth Natwest Island Games in Shetland 2005. Following the formation of the Western Isles Island Games Association (WIIGA), the Executive Committee is trying to identify potential competitors and team managers. The core sports are athletics, badminton, cycling, shooting, swimming and volleyball. The additional sports are archery, indoor bowls, football, golf, gymnastics, table tennis, sailing and windsurfing. Shetland have chosen squash as the local sport. The Shetland Games are the first that the Western Isles will be eligible for. Kenny Murray, the WIIGA Chairperson, explains that the Association is keen to appoint coaches in the near future to develop teams for the Shetland Games. "It’s crucial that we have experienced coaches appointed as soon as possible to work with the athletes over the next two years to ensure that the Western Isles squad is well prepared and ready for the challenge. The Association is looking for experienced coaches to come forward and express their interest in being involved in the development of the squad. The Association is also interested in opening up negotiations with potential sponsors for the Western Isles Team. Other member islands have maximised the economic benefits that can be derived from competing in the Games and following a number of enquiries it looks as if local businesses are keen to be involved." Emma Matheson, Principal Officer for Sport and Health, also highlighted the need for potential competitors to contact the Association. " The process of selection for the Western Isles squad will inevitably differ depending on the individual sport, however its crucial that the Association is made aware of sportspeople who are of a standard suitable for consideration. The local sports councils will be used as the main mechanism for contacting locally based sportspeople, but it is more difficult to ascertain the interest that may come from athletes who have left the islands. The Island Games competitor eligibility criteria allows the inclusion of people who have been born on the islands or have lived locally for a period of 12 months up to the date of the Games. Students for example who are studying on the mainland will be regarded as eligible competitors". The International Island games is a major sports event created to provide the opportunity for island sports people to compete and enjoy international competition. The official body for the Games is the Island Games Association (IGA) which has a maximum of 25 member island associations. The format of the Games includes a number of different competitive events and host countries can include a sport of local interest. The ‘inter-island’ games were first held in the Isle Of Man in 1985, with the intention of bringing together a number of small islands from different parts of the world in friendly competition as part of the Isle of Man’s Year of Sport. Following the success of the 1985 festival it was agreed to continue to hold the event every second year. The other members of the Island Games Association are Aland, Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman, Falklands, Faroes, Froya, Gibralter, Gotland, Greenland, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Orkney, Prince Edward Island, Rhodes, Saamemaa, Sark, Shetland, St Helena and Ynys Mon. Any potential coach, athlete or business sponsor should contact Steven Munro on 01851 707459. Nigel Scott Tel: 01851 709389 (Work) |
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