MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands with ten teams at Guernsey Island Games, plus live coverage

Falklands National Sports Council, Mike Summers

Next week the Falklands Islands will be participating at the Island Games, to be held in Guernsey with twenty-four islands competing and running from July 8/14. Falklands is sending 76 athletes in ten teams, Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Swimming Shooting, Golf, Table Tennis, Cycling, and Football.

In support of the Falklands' teams BFBS has advised they are working with KTV Ltd to release a “pop up” Island Games feed on MiPlayer. Live coverage from the Island Games will be provided by FITV. This will go live on Monday morning, 03 July 2023.

The chair of National Sports Council Mike Summers said “it was great news, and thanked BFBS and KTV plus anyone else responsible for getting this in place”.

However this is a temporary service, which will automatically disappear after the Island Games end. It will be available on the MiPlayer web page but not MiPlayer set-top boxes. The feed will also be available on FITV via KTV for existing subscribers, plus DTT free view on SD and HD in Stanley.

The opening ceremony will take place along the Town seafront and Vicky Chater will carry the flag for the Falkland Islands. In total there are 205 events across the six days of live sport, encompassing approximately 480 heats, races, and matches with venues dotted all over the island. There are 14 sports in Guernsey 2023.

Apart from the Island Games medals for the Falklands competitors there will also be two additional awards up for grabs Player of the Tournament presented by President of the FIFC Patrick Watts to the Falklands football player nominated by the team; and Achievement of Merit also presented by Vice-President of the NSC Patrick Watts to the Falklands athlete across all sports deemed by the NSC Executive Committee to have produced an outstanding achievement.

The Island Games began in in 1985, when the Isle of Man hosted a sporting festival called the ‘Inter-Island Games’. The rules state the host island can choose between 12 and 14 sports from a list of 18. To compete you must have been born in a member island or lived on the island for 12 months prior to the Games. Applicant islands must be surrounded by sea water, and the resident population must not exceed 125,000 residents at the time of application.

Finally the Falkland Islands Government has thanked BFBS, KTV Ltd and FITV for their efforts, and once again wishes all taking part in the Island Games the very best of luck and assurances that everyone in the Falklands is supporting them.

The Falklands team has had the support of Fortuna, Argos Group Ltd., Polar Sea Fish, Igueldo Fisheries, Beauchene Fishing Company Ltd, and South Atlantic Squid Ltd, besides FIG. (Penguin News)