News Release - Sunday 10 July 2005
COMPETITION GETS OFF TO A FLYING START IN SHETLAND THE NATWEST ISLAND GAMES XI
The first day of competition for the NatWest Island Games gets off to a flying start today with the men's and women's 25.6 mile cycling event together with team events in football, volleyball and table tennis. There are high hopes for Shetland cyclist Carlos Riise and the Shetland team are eager to win the first gold medal of the Games.
Ahead of his race Carlos Riise said: 'I can be quite stubborn when it comes to serious competition and I am hopeful of an individual medal, but we'll just have to wait and see. What you want for the time trial is for the weather to be calm, warm and dry and this is just about as good as you can get. I think it will help my chances having trained hard all year in these weather conditions.'
However competition will be tough and according to Riise, Andrew Roach from the Isle of Man, who has been doing really well in all the individual time trials this year, is the man to watch today. Mark Kelly, also from the Isle of Man is a young British hopeful in this competition but the Saaremaa team who arrived last Wednesday (date) to get some training in ahead of the Games are normally very strong in the cycling events.
Things have started well for the Shetland Table Tennis team beating number one seeds the Isle of Wight in the early rounds. If they can now hold their form in the later rounds of the competition they will be on target to win at least a bronze medal in the finals tomorrow.
The football competition, one of the most keenly contested events in the NatWest Island Games programme gets under way today. Shetland are fielding their first women's football team this year and begin their 2005 Games campaign with a match against Bermuda. There will be a lot of pressure on the team in this competition, not only from the Isle of Man and, top seeded, Faroes teams but also because they will be playing in front of a very loud and enthusiastic home crowd.
Antonia Sidgwick, who celebrates her eighteenth birthday today will be keen to help the team to their first victory. During a final training session this morning Toni, who competes in her first Games this year, said: 'This is an extra special day for me and definitely something to remember my big day by. This is also a great day for women's football on the island. We are all pretty psyched up, we have trained hard for the last eight months and we are going out there today to win gold.'
This evening in the athletics arena there will be medal ceremonies in women's javelin, men's high jump and 3,000 metres steeple chase but local attention will be firmly focused on Shetland's top Games medal winner Ian Williamson as he sets off in the 10,000 metres final.
ENDS
Editor's Notes:
The NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, 9 - 15 July. Shetland is the first Scottish member island to host the games; and with a population of approximately 23,000 it is the smallest island population ever to host this large-scale event.
NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005: http://www.shetland2005.info/ NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, event results website http//www.shetlandresults2005.com NatWest Island Games and the IGA: http://www.Islandgames.net/
The 24 member islands of the International Island Games Association are:
Aland, Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Froya, Gibraltar, Gotland, Greenland, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Orkney, Prince Edward Island, Rhodes, Saaremaa, Sark, Shetland, St. Helena, Western Isles, Ynys Mon.
Sports for the NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005: 15 different team and individual sports have been chosen from a list of 18 set down by the IGA:
Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Cycling, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Sailboarding, Sailing, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
Shetland
The Shetland Islands are situated 200 miles North of Aberdeen and 225 miles West of Bergen. Made up of a diverse group of over 100 islands, bordered by jagged cliffs and bleached white beaches, Shetland is ruled by water. The mainland of Shetland is approximately 70 miles in length and 35 miles wide, with a population of around 23,000. http://www.visitshetland.com
Funding Partners
Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Charitable Trust, EventScotland and sportscotland
Sponsors and Supporters
NatWest is the official sponsor to the IGA and the NatWest Island Games. The NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, is the fourth Games that NatWest has sponsored.
A large number of Shetland businesses are also supporting the games.
http://www.shetland2005.info
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paddy Cuthbert - Podge Publicity :
17 - 23 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 8DL
T: 0131 477 2037 / F: 0131 558 3904 / M: 07968 699 636
E: paddy@podge.co.uk / W: www.podge.co.uk