Sunday 28 June 2015

IT'S THE ISLAND GAMES

If you happen to be on holiday in Jersey, then you have a treat because yesterday evening saw the opening ceremony of the 2015 Island Games, which run until the 3rd of July. It's free!

24 islands from all over the world, with 2700 athletes, are invading Jersey, competing in sports ranging from Archery to Volleyball! There are 32 venues and 900 events to administer and this is the second time Jersey has hosted this great event.

Football of course is one of the sports on offer, as teams from Aland (have a look at the atlas), Froya, Hitra and Ynys Mon (Anglesey). Better known islands taking part are Bermuda, the Falklands, Greenland and St Helena, all travelling thousands of miles to take part.

Major sports have a long history on Jersey, for example, the Muratti Cup is a football tournament between the Channel Islands that was first played for in 1905. Football is a popular event in these games.

The Island entrepreneurs are jumping on the bandwagon with many attractive events on offer. There is the screening of Rossini's Opera, Cinderella (very topical) and the Island Games Flower festival; it is going to be a carnival.

The official mascot of the Games is Indigo, the silverback gorilla, that lives in the Durrell Wildlife Park on the island. Silverbacks seem  to be in the news a lot these days?? The next games will be held in Gotland in 2017.

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