News / Jersey recce
TWO Shetland Island Games Association (SIGA) representatives will travel to Jersey this weekend to check out the island’s sports venues and facilities ahead of the 2015 games.
SIGA chairman Andrew Inkster and secretary Bob Kerr will visit Jersey along with representatives of the other 23 competing islands. Delegates will also attend the International Island Games Association’s AGM on Saturday.
Among items on the agenda will be whether to award the 2019 games to the Faroe Islands, who are bidding to host the event that year. Swedish island Gotland has already been awarded the 2017 games – 18 years after first hosting the event in 1999.
Jersey last hosted the games in 1997 and, following the Bermuda games last year, there is expected to be a large increase in participants in 2015 with events being staged closer to home for the majority of islands.
Around 4,000 competitors and officials are expected in Jersey next year, making it possibly the largest multi-sport event in Britain in 2015.
Team Shetland is expected to have at least 180 competitors and officials taking part in 11 sports – archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, football, golf, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis and triathlon.
The local volleyball association has indicated that it is keen to raise a team for the event.
Inkster said: “Visiting the next host island a year ahead of the games is a really important milestone for both us and the organising committee. We can inspect the sports facilities where Team Shetland will be competing and visit our team hotel.
“It also gives us a chance to ask questions of the organising committee, about important issues such as the sports programmes, local transport and catering options for the team. We look forward to hearing of Jersey’s plans for next year’s games.”
Local engineering firm Malakoff is Team Shetland’s main sponsor in a deal made in 2013.
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