'Unforgettable' Games end with Team Guernsey top of the medal table
Island Games week ended in style and triumph yesterday.
Thousands turned out to support the final day of events – dubbed ‘Fantastic Friday’ – as countless competitors and spectators hailed Guernsey 2023 as the best Games ever staged.
‘The crowds have been absolutely incredible. I want to thank them for being such a big part of this week,’ said golden girl Orla Rabey, who won nine medals, six of them gold.
Guernsey held top spot in the medal table throughout the week. Local athletes won another 10 golds yesterday to bring the hosts’ total medal tally to 145.
Organising committee chairwoman Dame Mary Perkins thanked more than 1,200 local volunteers who personified how the island took the Games to its heart 20 years since they were last held in Guernsey.
‘I expected great things from Guernsey, but the Games have been even better than I could ever have hoped for,’ said Jorgen Pettersson, chairman of the International Island Games Association.
‘Guernsey has under-promised and over-delivered in every way.
‘Every single person involved has contributed in their own way to a Games which will never be forgotten.
‘People, including people in Guernsey of course, will talk about the Games for years to come.’
