³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Guernsey will host the delayed Island Games between 8 and 14 July 2023.

The Channel Island was due to host the event in 2021 but the Covid-19 pandemic saw the event delayed for the first time in its history.

It will be the first time Guernsey has hosted the biennial Games since 2003.

"The 8-14 July 2023 was when the Games were due to be hosted in Orkney, so most of the Islands were already holding the date," Guernsey 2023 games director Julia Bowditch said.

"We have taken some time to liaise with the 14 sports here in Guernsey that will be part of the Games to ensure the dates will work for them.

"The sporting calendar is still changing due to other events being postponed and moved as a result of the global pandemic, so there will inevitably be an overlap with other events, but hopefully these dates will work for all of the Islands and sports."

Following Guernsey, Orkney will host the 2025 Island Games, Ynys Mon in 2027 and the Isle of Man will become the preferred host for 2029.

The 2021 Island Games were postponed in September with Guernsey invoking strict travel restrictions and quarantine rules which has seen the Channel Island experience only a very low coronavirus rate.

Having been the venue of the second Island Games in 1987, Guernsey will become the first place to host the event for a third time when it eventually takes place in 2023.

About 3,500 competitors and officials from small islands across the world and 1,000 volunteers were set to take part next year.

"We were well advanced with plans for the event to be hosted in 2021," added Bowditch.

"As a result of the postponement, we have put a lot of this planning on hold and will be able to pick it up again nearer the actual date.

"However, there will inevitably be some elements of planning that will need to be started again, and we also need to consider any new guidelines that we will have to implement because of the pandemic.

"At this stage, we do not want to be incurring any unnecessary additional costs, so we will be putting a lot of things on hold until nearer to 2023.

"We will also take the opportunity to review all of the planning we have done so far, revise our costings, branding and communication plans, and address any other issues that may arise between now and 2023."