Organisers had to redraw the Games map

That it was unsurprising will not make it any less disappointing for anyone who had been involved in the preparations so far. The pandemic has made it impossible to press on. In sporting terms, to do so would have been unfair as different islands operate under different restrictions – in health terms, there is no certainty about when such a large-scale event can be held safely and cost-effectively.

That next year’s London Marathon has already been pushed back from its usual spring slot to October gives some context.

We now know when the Island Games will not happen, but there is no clarity beyond that.

There is some natural resistance to holding the week-long event back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, partly because of the costs involved for the competitors and sporting associations and the impact on sponsors, partly because of how it fits in to the sporting calendar. Orkney have already begun work on 2023, the first time they will host it, and will be reluctant to have their event diluted by Guernsey staging it so soon before theirs.

If the wish is to keep the biennial cycle, it becomes a case of how the order is shuffled. Everyone could bump up two years, or Guernsey could leapfrog into 2025 or even 2027 – that would be tough for those who have already spent so long preparing for next year.

The map is being redrawn, there are three destinations – Guernsey, Orkney and now Ynys Mon – but no timetable for arrival.

There will be sporting winners and losers out of this situation too. Some talent will have more time to mature and improve, winning selection or even medals as a result of the delay. Other people who have hit form in this cycle will now lose out – that will be hard to take, having already faced the challenges of training and peaking during lockdown.

Whenever the next Games is, and whoever hosts it, it will be an incredibly special occasion, cherished even more because of the adversity from which it will have emerged.