Latest News (February 2001)

ISLAND GAMES COMPETITION !!
With the start of this year's NatWest Island Games only 4 months away the Executive Committee is launching a monthly web-site-based competition aimed at enhancing awareness of the Games.
Each month, starting on March 5th, 5 questions will appear in the 'Latest News' section of the Island Games web-site. The answers to these questions are to be found within the pages of the Island Games web-site.
The first correct set of answers to be drawn at the end of the month from email entries (sent to abraidwood@datacentre.com) or postal entries ( sent to Adam Braidwood, c/o Data Centre, Tromode, Douglas, Isle of Man IM4 4QD ) will win some attractive and stylish Island Games commemorative clothing.

At the end of the 4 competitions (March, April, May, and June) the 4 monthly winners will be entered into a draw with the winning 'winner' receiving 2 VIP tickets to the grand Opening Ceremony on Saturday July 7th and the Closing Ceremony on Friday July 13th.

Games Info Update
THIS summer's NatWest Island Games is already attracting interest from all over the world.
The competition, which does not get underway until July 7, has an official website which includes a guest book in which visitors to the site can leave
a comment.
People from competing nations worldwide, as far a field as the Cayman Islands and Rhodes, have left messages of good luck for both the Isle of Man
event organisers and all participating athletes. Others are looking to track down friends they have made at past competitions. And it is not just those residing in member islands who have shown interest either. Someone from Boston, Massachusetts, has left their mark, although personally I think that their country is maybe just a little too big to be included in the Games.
One woman in Brisbane, Australia, who lived in Sulby until the age of six, stumbled upon the site when reading information on-line about the Queensland
Manx Society.
Readers may remember another southern hemisphere visitor to the site, ex-Manx Island Games hockey player Dave Lewin, now living in Wellington.
Dave says hello to everyone at Manx Harriers and wants to wish all Isle of Man competitors the best of luck for the event. His parting words are
'Wullabrawunga' - that's Aussie for sheep dip to you and me!

Island soccer players beware, the Hitra team mean business next year, and have left a message for the Manx lads, 'We'll beat you in football this time!'
Equally confident is a Swedish counterpart who insists, 'Be sure, Gotland will win it all.'

Not everyone is so interested in the actual sport, some are more concerned with the social side of proceedings. One member of the men's football team
from Ynys Mons says that he enjoyed his time at the 1999 competition and hopes 'all the blonde girls in Gotland can get over for the next Games'!!

Anyone wanting to add their own message to the on-line guest book can find it here.

This site includes information about the event's sports, venues, competing islands and Games history. There is also a link to the Island Games
Association website.

BERMUDA is seeking membership to the Island Games Association with a view to being included in the 2003 NatWest Island Games in Guernsey.
The Greek island of Rhodes and the Cayman Islands of the western Caribbean were successful in their applications four years ago, and were both welcome additions to the ranks in Gotland the summer before last.

Meanwhile, all 22 current member islands have now confirmed their entries and sports for this July's Games in the Isle of Man. A total of 2,250 competitors are expected - almost 400 more than the record number of 1,856 from Gotland in 1999.
The furthest travellers are likely to be the Falkland Islands and St Helena from the South Atlantic. St Helena, who will spend seven days on a boat prior to connecting up with a flight to the UK in Cape Town, are bringing a party of 13. This will consist of two athletes, one badminton player, two golfers (even
though they don't have a golf course back home), two clay shooters, two rifle shooters and two officials. One of the riflemen won St Helena's first ever medal - a bronze - at the last Games.

The Falkland Islands are bringing a team of more than 40 competitors, including for the first time a men's football squad. They have been drawn to
play in the same group as the Isle of Man and Guernsey, but there's apparently no truth in the rumour that the squad is the British Army first XI and the back four are all SAS men! Although they are the furthest flung islands away from the Isle of Man, the Falklanders will take considerably less time to travel here than many others as they will be flying directly into Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on an RAF Tristar.

The sport of mountain bikes is still not assured of making a debut at the 2001 Games. To date, just three islands have confirmed entries - Jersey, the
Isle of Man and the Shetland Islands - and it requires at least one more to run.
Four islands would ensure at least a gold and silver medal would be presented.

Another sport struggling to attract the necessary interest is women's shooting. To date, no more than three entries have been received for any one
discipline.

Who's taking part?
As of today (February 13th) with 143 days to go before the Games open on July 7th all participating islands (bar 2!) have confirmed their participation and the number of competitors they will have in each sport. Now we can get down to the serious detail planning! The first draw - for the mens' and ladies' football - took place last Saturday and was broadcast live on Manx Radio (see below).

Football draw
The draw for the Men's & Ladies Football Competitions for the IXth NatWest Island Games 2001 took place on Saturday 10th February 2001 at the IOM F.A. Headquarters, Douglas.
Full details are on the football sports page.

Sports web pages
Several sports have amended and updated their site entries since Christmas - so if you want the latest information please look in the sports section. We've also posted in the individual sports pages copies of the sports specific articles compiled by Kate Youde that have been appearing recently in the weekly 'Manx Independent'.

Newsletter
Newsletter Number 7 was issued last week. Like the previous newsletters it has now been posted in the Newsletter section of our site.

Sponsorship
Our sponsorship co-ordinator, Don Lindsay, says that nearly all the sports have now attracted sponsorship. He issued a release last month which referred to the deals with Manx Telecom (sailing),
Securicor (shooting), and Scottish Provident (golf) that have already been publicised. The release which also gives details of the 'Games Supporters' package and Manx Radio's plans to run a dedicated 'Games Station 2001' has been posted in the Information section of our site.
The other agreements will be announced shortly and will appear in the Sponsorship sub-section of the Information section.

Media Matters
Ella Slack and Daphne Caine arranged two fact-finding visits for radio, film and tv personnel last month. A report on the events is filed in the Information section of the site.

John Christal (2001 Results Co-ordinator)

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