This year, Guernsey has the pleasure of hosting the Natwest International Island Games. It will be the first time that the Games returns to Guernsey in 20 years, and we are the first Island to host the Games three times!
You may be hearing a lot about the Island Games, either on your travels around the Island, online or on the news. But what are the Island Games? And what can you expect if you’re here during the week of the Games?
This blog post will answer all of your questions about the NatWest International Island Games, and hopefully get you just as excited about the upcoming event as we are.
What are the Island Games?
The Island Games are a biennial sporting celebration in which athletes from 24 member Islands across the globe come together to compete in a range of sporting events. The Island Games originated in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, intended as a one-off sporting event, but has grown into a hugely successful international event.
The Games are both a competition and a celebration of small island nations, with athletes, coaches and their loved ones travelling across the world to take part and explore other islands. It's estimated that around 2500 athletes have been selected for this year's Games - the largest number so far!
During the Games our five Islands compete as three different nations: Guernsey (with Herm and Lihou), Sark and Alderney.
- Guernsey currently holds 1474 medals, the second largest amount after neighbouring Channel Island Jersey.
- Sark is one of the most successful islands for their size - as their population of 600 people have acquired over 20 medals, which is roughly one per every 30 islanders!
When are the Island Games happening?
The Island Games are coming to Guernsey from the 8th-14th July 2023. The opening ceremony on the evening of the 8th July will take place along St Peter Port seafront and will be a great way to welcome everyone to Guernsey. The rest of the week will be filled with sporting events and will culminate in a celebration of everyone’s achievements on the evening of the 14th, once the final events have taken place.
Which Islands are involved?
24 member Islands from across the world are set to compete in this year’s Island Games. These are:
- Åland
- Alderney
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Froya
- Gibraltar
- Gotland
- Gozo
- Greenland
- Guernsey
- Hitra
- Isle of Man
- Isle of Wight
- Jersey
- Menorca
- Orkney
- Saaremaa
- Sark
- Shetland Islands
- St Helena
- Western Isles
- Ynys Mon
We’re excited to meet the athletes travelling to Guernsey and to show them all the sights around our Island.
Which sports will be played at the Island Games 2023?
The sports that feature each Games varies, as the host nation can choose 12-14 sports from a list of 18, including everything from classic athletic, track and swimming events to indoor bowls and shooting. Only four sports have featured at every Island Games event - athletics, swimming, shooting and volleyball.
The chosen sports for this year's games are:
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Bowls (Indoor)
- Cycling
- Football
- Golf
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Triathlon
Where will the Island Games events be held?
Specialist venues all over Guernsey that have been selected to host the different events during the Games. You'll find sports taking place all across the Island, so hopefully you'll be able to catch a glimpse or attend some of the events during your visit. The 2023 Island Games Venues are:
- The Badminton Hall: Badminton
- Beau Sejour Leisure Centre: Swimming and basketball
- Blanches Pierre Lane: Football
- College Field: Football
- Corbet Field: Football
- Delancey Park: Cycling
- Footes Lane: Athletics and football
- Guernsey Table Tennis Centre: Table tennis
- Guernsey Tennis Centre: Tennis
- Guernsey Yacht Club: Sailing
- Indoor Bowls Stadium: Bowls (indoor) and shooting
- L'Ancresse Mountain Bike Track: Cycling
- L'Ancresse Golf Course: Golf
- Northfield: Football
- Rovers AC at Port Soif: Archery
- St Peter Port Seafront: Triathlon
- St Sampsons High School: Basketball
- Styx Community Centre: Cycling and triathlon
- The Track in St Sampsons: Football
To see the full programme of which sporting events are happening where and when, click here.
What to expect if you're visiting during the Island Games
With teams and families travelling from across the world, we expect there to be a real buzz around the Island, with accommodation and eateries are likely to be very busy. If you are visiting us during this special week, we highly recommend booking your restaurants and activities in advance wherever possible.
Some public roads will be closed during the Games for events such as cycling, running and the ceremonies. You can find full details of road closures here for planning your journeys around Guernsey.
During this week all public buses will be free, making transport easier for Islanders and visitors. Free bus journeys will start on Friday 7th July and will continue until the end of the games on Friday 14th July. Some buses will take slightly diverted routes when roads are closed - all the details can be found at buses.gg.
We're looking forward to welcoming all of the athletes and spectators to Guernsey for what is sure to be an entertaining week of sport and inter-island fun.
Find out more about the Island Games here or visit the official website.
