| Island Games | |
| Genre: | Multi-sports event |
| Frequency: | Biennial |
| Location: | Various |
| Last: | 2023 Island Games |
| Next: | 2025 Island Games |
| Participants: | ~ 2,000 |
| Organised: | IIGA |
| Sponsor: | NatWest International |
| Website: | Official IIGA website |
The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent different island communities (with one team from the peninsula of Gibraltar) which are IIGA members. Currently all competitor teams represent non-sovereign territories of European nations—some within European waters and some further overseas.
The most recent edition was the 2023, which took place in Guernsey with around 2,200 competitors from 24 islands or island groups participating in 14 sports. The next games will be hosted by Orkney in 2025.
The Island Games began in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, as part of the Isle of Man International Year of Sport, and were intended to be a one-off sporting celebration only. Geoffrey Corlett, who became the first Games Director, not only contacted the islands surrounding the United Kingdom, but also encouraged the countries of Iceland and Malta, the territories of Faroe Islands, Greenland, Saint Helena, the Channel Islands and others to participate.
Initially, fifteen islands with 600 competitors and officials took part in seven sports,[1] with the total cost of staging the Games being put at £70,000. The track and field events were held on an eight-lane grass track, a far cry from the current games, which now use synthetic tracks in stadiums capable of holding thousands of spectators. The Games of 1985 were so successful that organisers decided to hold a similar event two years later.[2] The Games have grown from strength to strength, with limits now in place for the number of teams, currently, and the number of sports at each Games, currently 12 to 14. Sark could be considered the most successful island, their population of 600 having acquired 20 medals by 2015, one for every 30 people.
NatWest International has been the main sponsor of the Games since 1999. In April 2018, they signed a deal extending their sponsorship until at least 2021. In 2020 Natwest International confirmed the Guernsey games, originally scheduled for 2021, but delayed to 2023, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic would be the last tournament they would be sponsoring.[3] At the time the replacement sponsor had not been confirmed.
A traditional symbol of the games was started in 1991 when Åland asked all teams to bring some water from their islands, which was then mixed in a fountain. All future games has water from the previous fountain added to water from each island competing in the new games, creating a symbol of "mixing together".[4]
| Year | Games | Host island | Numbers of participants | Athletes | Sports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | I | 15 | 700 | 7 | ||
| 1987 | II | 18 | 1,049 | 9 | ||
| 1989 | III |  Faroe Islands | 15 | 800 | 11 | |
| 1991 | IV | 17 | 1,500 | 13 | ||
| 1993 | V | 19 | 1,448 | 14 | ||
| 1995 | VI |  Gibraltar | 18 | 1,214 | 13 | |
| 1997 | VII | 20 | align=right data-sort-value="2,000" | ~2,000 | 13 | |
| 1999 | VIII | 22 | 1,858 | 14 | ||
| 2001 | 22 | 2,020 | 15 | |||
| 2003 | X | 23 | 2,129 | 15 | ||
| 2005 | XI | 24 | 1,658 | 14 | ||
| 2007 | XII | [5] | 25 | 2,343 | 14 | |
| 2009 | XIII | 24 | 2,286 | 14 | ||
| 2011 | XIV | 24 | 2,311 | 14 | ||
| 2013 | XV |  Bermuda | 22 | 1,296 | 14 | |
| 2015 | XVI | 24 | 2,430 | 14 | ||
| 2017 | XVII | 23 | 2,333 | 14[6] | ||
| 2019 | XVIII | Gibraltar[7] [8] [9] | 22 | 1,700 | 14[10] | |
| 2021 | Postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic[11] [12] | |||||
| 2023 | [13] | 24 | align=right data-sort-value="2,194" | 2,194 | 14 | |
| 2025 | XX | [14] | 13 | |||
| 2027 | XXI | Faroe Islands[15] [16] | ||||
| 2029 | XXII | [17] [18] | 14 |
Guernsey put in a bid for the 2021 Games following the Faroe Islands' withdrawal from hosting.[19] The bid was approved in July 2016. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Games were cancelled and rescheduled for 2023 with Guernsey still as hosts, with future hosts pushed out by two years as well.
Orkney will host the 2025 Games.[20] They were awarded the right to host on 7 July 2018 at the AGM in Gibraltar.
The Isle of Man made an official bid to host the Island Games in 2029 in July 2023.[21]
In May 2018, the Parliament of the Faroe Islands guaranteed €1,500,000 towards hosting the Games in or before 2029.[22] The Faroe Islands is seen as the preferred bidder for the 2031 games.[23]
In August 2018 it was reported that the Falkland Islands are considering hosting the Games in 2033.[24]
In December 2023 it was announced that the Faroe Islands would replace Ynys Môn as the hosts of the 2027 games due to funding having been directed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Faroe Islands, who had submitted a bid for the 2031 games, expressed a desire to host the games early and were selected as a replacement for Ynys Môn.[25]
A total of 28 islands, island groups or territories have participated in the Island Games; eleven of these have participated in every Island Games.
Every island has won at least 4 medals with Alderney the only island awaiting their first Gold.
| Silver | Bronze | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Finland (autonomous province) | 28,666 | 1985– | 191 | 200 | 190.5 | 581.5 | ||
| United Kingdom (island; part of the crown dependency (Bailiwick) of Guernsey) | 1,900 | 1987, 1993– | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Bermuda | United Kingdom (overseas territory) | 64,200 | 2003– | 107 | 115 | 119 | 341 | |
 Cayman Islands | United Kingdom (overseas territory) | 56,700 | 1999– | 133 | 107 | 91 | 331 | |
| United Kingdom (overseas territory) | 2,900 | 1993– | 2 | 11 | 13 | 26 | ||
| Faroe Islands | Denmark (autonomous territory) | 49,700 | 1985– | 269 | 255 | 301 | 825 | |
 Norway (municipality island) | 4,300 | 1985– | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Gibraltar | United Kingdom (overseas territory) | 30,000 | 1987– | 77.5 | 86.5 | 119 | 283 | |
 Sweden (county) | 57,200 | 1985– | 336.5 | 245.5 | 252 | 834 | ||
 (island) | 39,300 | 2023– | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
 Greenland | Denmark (autonomous territory) | 56,081 | 1989– | 24 | 31 | 38.5 | 93.5 | |
| United Kingdom (island; part of the crown dependency (Bailiwick) of Guernsey) | 65,800 | 1985– | 536 | 549 | 534 | 1619 | ||
| Norway (municipality island) | 4,250 | 1985–1989, 1997– | 4 | 10 | 15 | 28 | ||
| United Kingdom (crown dependency) | 84,500 | 1985– | 530 | 495 | 460.5 | 1485.5 | ||
| United Kingdom (English county) | 138,400 | 1985– | 203 | 208 | 220 | 621 | ||
| United Kingdom (crown dependency, Bailiwick) | 105,500 | 1985– | 634 | 625 | 560.3 | 1819.3 | ||
| Menorca |  Spain (island) | 94,400 | 2007– | 57 | 57 | 71 | 185 | |
| United Kingdom (Scottish council area) | 21,300 | 1985– | 23 | 41 | 44 | 108 | ||
 Estonia (county) | 31,000 | 1991– | 126 | 129 | 101.5 | 356.5 | ||
| United Kingdom (overseas territory) | 4,250 | 1985–1987, 1997– | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | ||
| United Kingdom (island part of the crown dependency of Guernsey) | 600 | 1987–2011, 2015– | 3 | 17 | 7 | 27 | ||
| United Kingdom (Scottish council area) | 23,200 | 1985– | 62 | 83 | 113 | 258 | ||
| United Kingdom (Scottish council area) | 27,400 | 2005– | 28 | 26 | 27 | 81 | ||
| Ynys Môn | United Kingdom (Welsh principal area) | 69,700 | 1985– | 43 | 42 | 57 | 142 | |
| align=left colspan=2 |  Iceland | 329,000 | 1985–1997 | 50 | 45 | 40.7 | 135.7 | |
| align=left colspan=2 | Malta | 445,000 | 1985–1987 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
 Canada (province) | 140,000 | 1991–2007 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 21 | ||
 Greece (island; Regional Unit (Περιφερειακή ενότητα)) | 115,500 | 1999–2011, 2015 | 53 | 52 | 45 | 150 |
Of the 24 current IIGA members, two (Bermuda and the Cayman Islands) have competed in their own right at the Olympic Games.
Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey and St. Helena have each sent teams to the Commonwealth Games.
Islanders who have gone on to participate in Olympic Games events include:
The host country chooses between 12 and 14 different sports for their games from this list:
| Sport | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | Total | XX | XXI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Athletics | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Badminton | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowls (Indoor‡, Lawn∞, or Ten Pin*) | ‡ | ‡ | ‡ | 5 | ∞ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cycling | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Football | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Golf | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judo | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sailing (may include Sailboarding*) | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shooting | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Squash | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Swimming | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Table Tennis | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennis | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Triathlon | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball (may include Beach Volleyball*) | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total sports | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |