News Release - Friday 6 May 2005
SHETLAND LOOK CONFIDENTLY AHEAD TO THE NATWEST ISLAND GAMES XI
Shetland has witnessed a great deal of top class sporting activity as preparations for the NatWest Island Games progress ahead of the crucial deadline for team entries (Sunday 8 May 2005).
200 athletes have now been chosen to represent Shetland, a one hundred percent increase on the number of competitors taking part in previous Games.
They will compete in 14 of the 15 sports to be staged at the Games.
Games organisers, Shetland competitors and the local community are confidently looking ahead to this biennial multi-sport event that will see 2500 athletes, team managers and officials from 24 island communities throughout the world descend on Shetland between 9 and 15 July 2005 for a unique festival of sport.
The new state-of-the-art squash facility, part funded by sportscotland, at the Clickimin Leisure Complex in Lerwick, which will play host to key matches throughout the Games, is ranked as one of the finest in the UK and Europe and undisputedly the most versatile and extensive in Scotland. It includes three singles courts with moveable sidewalls, which can be repositioned to create full-sizes doubles courts. This is complemented by superb provision for officials, spectators and media.
A number of top teams, including the Scottish Junior squad that includes Shetland's Jamie Macaulay, have been enormously impressed by the venue after a weekend of exhibition singles and doubles matches and coaching sessions; an event that attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd.
The 2005 Games will see squash included in the sports programme for the first time. The newly selected Shetland squad is now benefiting as it undergoes a rigorous pre-Games programme of training and coaching on the courts.
The newly refurbished Clickimin athletics track, also part funded by sportscotland, will see an estimated 240 athletes competing in sprint, middle, long distance and relay races, as well as throw and jump events.
Shetland is entering its largest ever athletics team against strong competition expected from other competing islands including Rhodes, Gotland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Aland and the Channel Islands.
One of the main challenges faced by the organisers in running a major athletics event is the large numbers of officials and volunteers required.
As a result dozens of volunteers have been drawn from the local community to work as officials to provide vital back-up for the forty Scottish Athletics senior officials at the Games. The volunteers have already successfully completed an introductory course, funded by NatWest through their Island Games Sports Development grant programme, on the basics of athletics timekeeping, distance measurement and recording data. Participants were then able to put these fresh skills into practice by assisting at the Shetland Athletics Team trials the following day.
Another exciting development is the recruitment of seven highly experienced local motorcyclists, who have distinguished themselves by achieving a top, internationally recognised qualification as motorcycle escort marshals for the various cycling events.
Another facility, which is now up and running well in time for the Games, is the £140,000 clay pigeon shooting range on the Black Gaet, a stunning, carefully chosen location which lies between Scalloway and Lerwick.
This represents a huge step forward for the islands' shooting fraternity, who have distinguished themselves as being amongst the top medal winners at the NatWest Island Games in recent years (4 bronze medals, Guernsey 2003), providing them with their first permanent fully equipped training and competition range.
In April the range hosted a 100 target, 2-day competition with Shetland competing against the Faroe Islands. This international event was a terrific success, fully testing equipment and ironing out teething problems ahead of the Games.
In addition, facilities and preparations for other sports such as swimming and football, are going well and are on schedule. Teams have now been selected and all competitors are in a confident mood looking forward to the Games. There has been an upsurge of interest in sport in Shetland, as
locals compete for a place at the Games. The Shetland women's football
team is one such group who have formed to take part this summer. They can expect tough matches against the likes of the Faroese women's team, who won gold at the last Games in Guernsey in 2003.
General Team Manager for the 200-strong Shetland Island Games Team, Bob Kerr, commented 'It's a busy and exciting time for us. Now that our entries are submitted, our sports people are in the midst of final preparations for the Games. The joint demands of both hosting and taking part in the Games is a real test for our sports community, but we are determined to make the Games a huge success.'
Shetland is the first Scottish member island and the smallest island population ever to host to host the Games. It is envisaged that the Games will provide Shetland with a lasting legacy for the future, encouraging more people to take up sport and promoting Shetland as a vibrant and outward looking island community.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paddy Cuthbert - Podge Publicity : M: 07968 699 636 / E: paddy@podge.co.uk
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