Island Games: Get to know ... Isle of Man

The inaugural Games of 1985 involved 15 teams, including Iceland and Malta – who have since left – but not including Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Gozo, Greenland, Menorca, Saaremaa, Sark or Western Isles, who have all joined since.

The Manx competitors got off to a strong start, with the hosts topping the medal table ahead of Guernsey. And all these years later, only Guernsey and Jersey sit above them in the all-time medal tally.

As a jurisdiction, the Isle of Man has many similarities with its Channel Island counterparts, being a Crown Dependency with its own parliament, laws, fiscal autonomy and language.

However, it is almost 10 times bigger than Guernsey and can boast a considerably larger wild interior.

‘We have beautiful scenery here,’ Island Games Association of Mann secretary Jill Gillings said.

‘There’s a really good mix, with sandy beaches, rocky coves and wild moorlands. There have been lots of movies shot here because one bit can look like Ireland and then the next can look like England.’

Finance dominates the economy, while online gambling has grown considerably in recent years, and agriculture, fishing and tourism have taken a back seat.

‘Tourism used to be massive but it’s diminishing,’ Jill said. ‘It’s not cheap to get here, compared to some much warmer places.’

The people themselves are ‘a bit guarded and insular’ at first but ‘very open and friendly’ once you get to know them, she assured us.

‘There are lots of non-locals here, mainly from England and Ireland, but also South Africa and Poland and lots of other countries.’

By far the biggest event on the island’s sporting calendar is the Tourist Trophy, known simply as the Isle of Man TT. This is a two-week festival of motorcycling which sees competitors take on a mountainous circuit of 61km (38m).

The current lap record holder is Peter Hickman, who completed the course at a barely credible average speed of 135mph.

Propelling yourself up a mountain on two wheels can also be done without an internal combustion engine, of course, and when asked to name the island’s biggest ever sports star, Jill did not hesitate.

‘Mark Cavendish, certainly,’ she said. ‘With all the stages he’s won in the Tour de France and all his successes.’

Indeed, he was once described by the event’s director as ‘the greatest sprinter in the history of the Tour and of cycling’.

His career triumphs have included 34 Tour stage victories, prior to this year’s event, two green jerseys and three Madison titles at the track world championships. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year accolade in 2011 with half of all the votes.

However, Guernsey spectators will probably not rate any of this as highly as his finish in the 2003 criterium in St Peter Port, when he won by a tyre’s width after surging to catch Jersey’s Sam Firby, who lost speed while celebrating a seemingly certain gold.

This never-say-die finish perhaps reflects an island trait, going by Jill’s answer to whether the island has any particular sporting rival.

‘The rest of the world, really,’ she said. ‘We’ll take on anyone.’

About the Isle of Man

Area: 574 sq. km (222 sq. miles)

Population: 84,069 (census)

Population density: 146 per sq. km

Time zone: Same as Guernsey

Distance from Guernsey: 529km (329m)

Total IG medals won: 1,422.5 (510 G, 479 S, 433.5 B)

Medals won in 2003: 88 (29 G, 28 S, 31 B)

Competitors coming to Guernsey: 244

Route: Direct charter flights with Aurigny

Sports in which competing: Archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, golf, football, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, triathlon

Biggest sports star: Mark Cavendish (cycling)

National delicacy: ‘Queenies’ – small scallops, usually cooked with bacon and garlic butter

Parliamentary representation: The Tynwald consists of 24 members elected to the House of Keys, plus 11 members of the Legislative Council