Latest News (April 2001)

I'm sorry to have to report that our Webmaster, Adam Braidwood, is leaving Data Centre this week to take up a new post as a programmer for a Life Assurance Company on the island.
I would like to thank Adam for all the work he has put into keeping our Island Games site up to date over the last 5 months since he took over. He's done a good job and I am sure we all wish him well in his new post. For the rest of the short time up to the Games the Webmaster duties will be in the safe hands of our results experts at Data Centre, Dave Joughin and Tony Jones. Tony will act as Webmaster.
John Christal



CLAY target shooting action at this year's NatWest Island Games will take place at the Blue Point range in the Ayres.
There will be both individual and team competitions for men and women in each of the four events: ISSF skeet; ISSF double trap, ball trap and sport.
The Isle of Man has enjoyed a history of success in this shooting discipline, with Manxman Nigel Kelly claiming the gold medal in the ISSF skeet event at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
More recently, the Island's skeet team at the 1999 Island Games (David Clague & Jeff Corkill) took gold, while Peter Kelly won the individual automatic trap event in Gotland.
Also in 1999, Peter went on to combine with Philip McCombe to earn bronze in the automatic trap team competition, while David was placed third in the
individual skeet event.
A jury of representatives from competing islands, drawn from a hat, will officiate at the event.



THE group draw for the NatWest Island Games men's basketball event has been made with the Isle of Man in group two against the Cayman Islands who won silver in Gotland in 1999.
The other teams which make up the group are Gibraltar and Jersey, who the IoM both lost to in Gotland, and newcomers Ynys Mon (Anglesey).
Rhodes, winners of the event two years ago, are drawn in group one against bronze medallists Gotland, Saaremaa, Guernsey and the Isle of Wight.
Seven islands have entered the women's event with the IoM in the four team group with 1999 winners Gotland, Guernsey and the Jersey. The other group is made up by Gibraltar, Rhodes and Cayman Islands.



LATE applications for the men's football event by the Cayman Islands and Froya & Hitra have been rejected.
The islands concerned contacted football co-ordinator, Peter Kelly, to investigate the possibility of a late entry but since the group draw for the
competition had already been made their request was declined.



LOCAL cyclists will be hoping to continue their form from the 1999 NatWest Island Games in Gotland, when the event is hosted on home tarmac in July.
The Manx team claimed four gold medals, three silver and one bronze in Gotland to take first position in the overall medal table ahead of Guernsey.
There are to be four cycling events each for the men and women at the 2001competition, a time trial, road race, town criterium and, for the first time, a mountain bike race.
The first two events are to take place in the west of the Island, with the 35 kilometre time trial being held on a course starting at Glen Helen and taking in a course involving Creg Willy's Hill and the majority of the old TT Course to Kirk Michael and back along the coast road towards Peel, before switching onto the Switchback Road and finishing with a tricky descent to the Tynwald woollen mills. The men will do two laps, the women one.

Both the men's and the women's road races will be contested over a multiple lap triangular course starting on the Poortown Road just outside of Peel and
taking in the Switchback and Knocksharry. The men will race over 100km, and the women over a shorter distance of 60km.

The mountain bike races were to be held over the popular Ballacraine quad-bike course, but due to the foot-and-mouth restrictions this will almost certainly be held at an alternative venue to be finalised.
The town criterium will be based on the roads around the Villa Marina in Douglas on the final afternoon of the Games Friday, July 13.
Following the conclusion of the criterium, the official Games closing ceremony will be held in the Villa Marina gardens.
Andrew Roche, Elliot Baxter, Mark Kelly, Graeme Hatcher, Sharon Watterson and Jacqui Fletcher have been pre-selected for Games squad.
The remaining places on the cycling team will be announced after a series of selection races have been completed in the next few weeks.
All of the Island's cycling clubs will be involved in the organising of the events for the Games. The Manx Viking Wheelers are staging the criterium,
the Manx Road Club is in charge of the time trial, the Ellan Vannin CC is running the road race and the Manx Mountain Bike Club is promoting the
off-road events.



ENTRIES from all 22 participating islands have now been confirmed by the organisers of the NatWest Island Games, with individual numbers currently standing at 2,200 competitors plus 450 officials.

Final team names are required by May 7, although late applications will be accepted in certain circumstances. In total, up to 3,000 people are expected to attend the Games.
Transport and accommodation has now been sorted. Most of the teams will be staying in Douglas, but Guernsey will be based in Port Erin and Saaremaa at King William's College. Rhodes are to occupy the Groudle Glen cottages.

The opening ceremony will take place at the National Sports Centre on the evening of Saturday, July 7, where seating will be available for up to 2,000 additional spectators. Teams will assemble first in the King George V Park Bowl adjacent to the NSC.

The new Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club, which is situated between the two main arenas, will act as a training area for the gymnastics competitions by day and a meeting point for the Isle of Man team at night.

The Villa Marina will be the main social area for the Games as a whole, with refreshment marquees and facilities, as well as forming the venue for the closing ceremony on Friday, July 13.

The final events of the week, the cycle criteriums, will encompass the Villa Marina and gardens in the evening running up to the official closing ceremony.
Between 5,000 and 6,000 people are expected to be in the vicinity of the Villa on the final evening, with teams assembling in the War Memorial area or on the beach (the tide will be out) prior to entering the Gardens area for the official close of the ninth biennial Island Games.



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.

The 5 questions for this month (April) are:

John Christal (2001 Results Co-ordinator)

If you have any views or comments about this site lets us know by clicking here.