GUERNSEY 2023
Originally scheduled to take place during the Summer of 2021, the Covid-delayed NatWest International Island Games were held between 8-14 July 2023 in Guernsey. This was the third time the Island had hosted the Games with previous competitions being held there in 1987 & 2003. 24 member Islands competed, with the Island of Gozo making its Games debut, having been unanimously admitted to the International Island Games Association (IIGA) at their AGM in 2022. A total of 2,194 Athletes competed at the Games, with an additional 1,200 volunteers ensuring the smooth running of the week’s events.
The host Island selected the following 14 Sports to be contested at the Games:
• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
•
Basketball
• Bowls (Indoor)
• Cycling
• Football
• Golf
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Swimming
• Table-Tennis
• Tennis
• Triathlon
(Bold denotes WIIGA participation)
After the selection process had been completed for each sport, the WIIGA squad was announced on 27th March 2023. With a team of 104 athletes and managers, as well as medical staff, press and Comhairle representatives, this was the largest ever Western Isles squad to compete at the Games. The squad comprised of experienced Island Games athletes as well as many competing at the Games for the first time, with representatives being selected from right across the Western Isles and the mainland. The competition would be WIIGA’s 9th, since first competing at Shetland 2005.
While regularly competing in the Football, Cycling, Athletics & Swimming competitions over the years, WIIGA sent athletes to compete in the Archery and Women’s Golf competitions for the first time ever, with a Western Isles Bowls team back on the International stage for the first time since the 2005 Games in Shetland.
More than half of the team were Games debutants, with 54 of the squad heading to their first ever competition. Among them were 4 athletes competing at the Games in a different sport than the one they had previously represented WIIGA in:
• Beth Macphail – Football 2023 / Badminton in Gibraltar 2019
• Jane Nicolson – Golf 2023 / Football in Åland 2009
• James Macleod – Bowls 2023 / Football in Jersey 2015 & Gotland 2017
• Colin Macritchie – Golf 2023, 2005 & 2011 / Football in Rhodes 2007 & Åland 2009
The average age of the competing squad was 29 with the youngest competitor not long having turned 15 and the oldest competing at their first ever Games at the age of 65.
31% of the squad were under the age of 21, with 60 of the 90 athletes being Island-based.
As the youngest competitor in the squad, Abbie Stewart (Athletics) was chosen as water carrier at the Opening Ceremony – with Christina MacKenzie (Cycling manager & competitor) being selected by the WIIGA Committee as Flag Bearer. The Opening Ceremony took place on Saturday 8th July with thousands turning out to welcome the teams to Guernsey.
With 4 years having passed since the last Island Games in Gibraltar, there were lots of new faces among the WIIGA squad as well as a few notable stalwart absentees. Competing in its 9th competition, WIIGA collected 4 Silver medals and 1 Bronze in Guernsey to become the best-performing Scottish Island for a 4th Games running.
Medallists
Kerry MacPhee
Silver - Women's Individual Mountain Bike Criterium
Silver - Women's Individual Mountain Bike XCountry
Lewis MacAlpine
Silver - Men’s Half Marathon
Women’s Football Team
Silver - Women's Football Competition
Muriel Macleod & Mhairi Hall
Bronze - Women’s Team Half Marathon
