International Island Games Association (IIGA)
International Island Games Association, Goldie House,, 2nd Floor,, 1 - 4 Goldie Terrace, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1EB
www.islandgames.net/iga@manx.netAbout
The role of the International Island Games Association (IIGA) is a wide-ranging one. It is charged not only with the task of pulling together all the different strands of responsibility which comprise the overall organisation but also has to ensure conformity with legal and financial obligations.
Part of its remit is to work with, and support, the efforts of various sports technical committees which are looking at such subjects as rules revision and keeping up with developments in their own particular sports. The IIGA has the final responsibility for ensuring the requirements of individual sports governing bodies are met.
Liaison with the 24 Member Island Associations, as well as sponsors and the media, to update them with the latest information obviously represents an important part of the work.
The International Island Games Association is affected, like any other organisation, by such matters as its own Constitution, the Data Protection Act, Health and Safety regulations and taxation liabilities and while these may seem far removed from the business of organising a sports gathering they are important legal obligations which have to be met.
The areas mentioned above represent only a very small part of the IIGA’s functions. Others include discussions with potential host islands and their governments as well as the archiving of memorabilia and records from previous Games.
Although the Association’s work covers many different facets, overall it carries the ultimate responsibility for making sure every NatWest Island Games, together with the organisation itself is run in an efficient and professional manner.
The ‘Inter-Island’ Games were born in the Isle of Man in 1985, with the intention of bringing together a number of small islands from different parts of the world in friendly competition as part of the Isle of Man’s Year of Sport.
Athletes came from as far a field as Iceland and Scandinavia in the northern hemisphere, the British Isles, the Mediterranean, down to St. Helena in the South Atlantic. In total 15 islands took part.
The idea was to provide an opportunity for hundreds of young sportsmen and women from small island communities, to compete and enjoy international competition against other islanders with similar standards of performance. Other benefits of such a unique festival of sport are the opportunities for cultural exchange and social interaction with visiting teams, and to establish new lifelong friendships with fellow islanders.
In many ways, sporting competition is only one aspect of the success of this event. As important are the opportunities it affords to share thoughts and experiences relating to our unique island stories. With that in mind, the theme for our advertising has been NatWest – bringing islands together.
The Festival was such a success that it was agreed to continue it every other year, with Guernsey hosting the Games in 1987. The Games have subsequently been held in the Faroe Islands, Aland, Isle of Wight, Gibraltar, Jersey, Gotland in 1999 (the first Games of NatWest offshore’s sponsorship), Isle of Man, Guernsey, Shetland Is, Rhodes and Aland.
The number of Islands participating has grown substantially, and now 25 Islands are members of the International Island Games Association.
Bermuda hosted the NatWest Island Games XV in 2013, the first time it has been held outside Europe. The next NatWest Island Games XVI will be held in Jersey in 2019. During the Games, competitors from each member island come together to participate in a range of up to 14 sports.
The Games have high sporting ideals and foster friendship between the member Islands.
Since the first Inter-Island Games in 1985, held in the Isle of Man, they have been held every two years and have grown in both popularity and stature. The standard of the sports competitions has also greatly increased over the years as shown by the IIGA Records and Results.Categories: Event Management, Event Venues, Sport.
