Guernsey's hosting of Island Games shows it has a future

Sunday 13 August 2023

Guernsey proved that the Island Games has a strong future, according to the politician that has responsibility for sport in Jersey.

Deputy Lucy Stephenson visited for the bi-annual event last month and has raised the prospect of her island hosting the Games in 2031.

The next three hosts are already set with the event heading to Orkney in 2025, Ynes Môn in 2027 and Isle of Man in 2029.

Discussing Guernsey 2023, Deputy Stephenson said: “There was a clear sense of real happiness and joy for people to be back after four years. It was really amazing to see – it was like seeing friends and family getting back together almost and there were some really lovely moments where you would watch people see each other and rush over to greet each other.

“That to me shows the power of sport in bringing people together.

“Before the Games, Guernsey said themselves that they were struggling – they had meant to be hosting two years earlier and we had had the pandemic, accommodation was a bit like Jersey in that they had lost beds and I think there was a concern for a while about how it was going to go. As a visiting person, it seemed to run amazingly – full credit to Guernsey, it was a brilliant event and they were excellent hosts and the Games as a whole showed there is a really strong future for the Island Games and also for the Channel Islands in hosting.”

While she was in Guernsey, Deputy Stephenson expressed a “very early interest in Jersey hosting again”.

“There are various formalities for how that would happen but I raised it with the executive committee and I did have an informal meeting to start exploring that potential.

“There is nothing set in stone but I did express an interest.”

She added that Jersey was not the only island that had put themselves forward for hosting future Games.

The last time Jersey hosted was in 2015 and cycles between islands hosting tend to be around 18 years apart so Jersey may be eligible for the 2033 event.

She added that having an event like a Jersey-hosted Island Games in the pipeline might help “focus minds” on improving sports facilities.

“One of our priorities coming forward soon will be around how we support our athletes to compete nationally and internationally. We have been looking around performance pathways and elite sport and our officers have talked to places like Guernsey and Isle of Man.”