Your island needs you

THE message to Alderney's sports fans is simple – your island needs you. Preparations for next year's Island Games are well under way and organisers here are hoping to send more competitors than ever before to Aland, which is situated in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden.

The Scandinavian island, which has a population of 27,000, is gearing up to host the biennial sporting festival for the second time and organisers are already predicting a record-breaking turnout in June.

Helen Southam, secretary of the Island Games Association, is hoping Alderney will beat the number of competitors it sent to Rhodes for the most recent games. 'About 20 people have signed up so far but we're looking for others to get involved,' she said.

'We took 30 to the last Games and would like to think we can beat that number next year.'

Those who would like to take part need to have lived in Alderney for at least a year or have relatives there.

Helen said: 'We're encouraging anyone who has sporting talent to get involved. It doesn't matter if you haven't lived here all your life, or if you just have family here.

'Alderney's only a small place so we need all the talent we can get our hands on.'

She admits the standard of competition is high at the Games, but stresses it's the taking part that counts.

'Some of the competitors will have competed at a high level in the past but that shouldn't put people off.

'The Island Games is about people taking part and giving it 100%.

'Very few people ever get to take part in an international sporting event, like the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, so this is their chance to have a go.'

Helen's teenage son Lloyd took part in the sailing competition at Rhodes and was Alderney's flag-bearer during the opening ceremony.

'It was a wonderful experience for Lloyd,' she said. 'He got to compete in a brand new boat and go up against sailors who had taken part in prestigious competitions.'

Though Alderney has yet to win a medal at the Games since their inception in 1985, Helen believes the unpredictable nature of sport could work in the island's favour.

She said: 'You never know in sport. All that counts is what happens on the day. It would be wonderful if someone from Alderney managed to win a medal but all we're really concerned about is taking part.'

Helen, who is planning to enter a long-distance running event, is hoping Alderney's introduction to the 24 other islands will be slightly different in Aland than it was in Rhodes.

She said: 'Each island is introduced at the opening ceremony and the announcer always says a little something about the place.

'It's usually something along the lines of, "Here comes Bermuda, the oldest overseas British territory".

'However, when it was our turn in Rhodes, the announcer said, "Here comes Alderney. It has an ageing population".

'We're hoping the announcer in Aland says something different.'

Accommodation for every athlete who takes part in Aland will be provided, while flights and transfers will be subsidised by the IGA.

The sports on offer will be archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, football, golf, gymnastics, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and windsurfing.

• Anyone interested in representing Alderney should contact Helen on 823481.