Written by David Griffiths reporter for Manx Athletics.

The Island Games began during the Isle of Man’s Year of Sport in 1985. 14 other islands were invited to take part in a long weekend of sport on the Isle of Man, with athletics being one of the core sports in what was quickly dubbed a ‘mini-Olympics for small islands’.

Two years later Guernsey organised a similar event, and with the formation of the International Island Games Association the event has been held on a biennial basis ever since - with the exception of the most recent Games which was postponed from 2021 to 2023 due to the pandemic.

2025 will see the northern Scottish island group of Orkney hosting the event for the first time, and Isle of Man Athletics hopes to send a strong team covering the majority of athletics disciplines. After a very successful week in Guernsey in 2023, many of the debutants there have progressed greatly since and will be strong challengers for medals and titles in Orkney. With a number of established athletes to provide proven experience and quality, and the emergence of more excellent youngsters, the team that is selected this year can be confident of a lot of success as we renew our long-time rivalry with islands such as Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Wight, Gotland, Cayman Islands and others.

One of the main challenges facing any team travelling to the Games is the cost, and despite fund-raising efforts, sponsorship and generous support from Government, the cost to each athlete remains very testing.

If you feel able to help support our athletes financially, and to help them achieve the success that we believe the team will deliver, we would be tremendously grateful. The Isle of Man is the most successful island in athletics in the history of the Island Games, and with your support we aim to keep it that way.

As Team manager for this squad, I am immensely proud of what they have achieved and what will be achieved in the next few years.

Kind Regards

Petra Atchison