The XVIII Island Games (officially the 2019 NatWest Island Games) were held in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar between 6 and 12 July 2019. This was the second time the territory hosted the Games, the first being in 1995.
 | |
| Host |  Gibraltar |
|---|---|
| Teams | 24 islands |
| Athletes | ≈2,000 |
| Events | 14 sports |
| Opening | 6 July 2019 |
| Closing | 12 July 2019 |
| Opened by | Ed Davis |
| Website | gibraltar2019 |
The 2019 Games did not include archery, cycling, football, or volleyball, which had been part of all previous games since 1985, due to the lack of venues. They were replaced by tenpin bowling, judo, and squash. Gibraltar's sports facilities were greatly redeveloped throughout 2018. Cycling was subsequently included in the list of events on the Games official website, while the 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament was announced as a substitute for the lack of football.[1]
Host
editThe Faroe Islands were initially scheduled to stage the 2019 games, with the 2021 games taking place in Menorca, but in 2014 the hosts were swapped following issues with the Faroese facilities being ready in time.[2] Menorca then withdrew from hosting the 2019 games in July 2015 following a change in government.[3] After the Isle of Man and 2015 hosts Jersey confirmed that they would not apply as replacements,[3][4] Gibraltar announced in August their intention to host the games,[5] and were officially announced as hosts in April 2016.[6]
On 2 May 2018 it was announced that Ynys Môn would hold an unofficial football tournament to replace the absence of football in the Island Games. Islands that are regulars to the Games were expected to attend.[7]
Participating islands
edit22 island entities of the IIGA, from Europe, South Atlantic and the Caribbean area, competed in these Games. Both Rhodes and Frøya did not participate in this edition.
Sports
editNumbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.[8][9][10]
Athletics (38) ()
Badminton (6) ()
Basketball (2) ()
Cycling (12) ()
Judo (14) ()
Sailing (3) ()
Shooting (39) ()
Squash (6) ()
Swimming (45) ()
Table tennis (6) ()
Ten-pin bowling (9) ()
Tennis (7) ()
Triathlon (4) ()
Beach volleyball (2) ()
Venues
edit| Sport | Venue |
|---|---|
| Shooting | Rifle Shooting Range, IPSC Shooting Range |
| Basketball & Tennis | Tercentenary Hall & Bayside Sports Complex |
| Judo | Devils Tower Camp Gym |
| Triathlon | Eastern Beach |
| Ten Pin Bowling | Kings Bastion Leisure Centre |
| Sailing | Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club |
| Tennis | Sandpits Lawn Tennis Club |
| Table Tennis | St Joseph's Middle School |
| Shooting | Clay Shooting Range |
| Athletics, Shooting & Swimming | Lathbury Sports Complex |
| Beach Volleyball | Camp Bay |
| Badminton & Squash | Europa Point Sports Complex |
Medal table
edit* Host nation (Gibraltar)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jersey | 33 | 31 | 29 | 93 |
| 2 |  Isle of Man | 29 | 22 | 17 | 68 |
| 3 |  Faroe Islands | 22 | 11 | 27 | 60 |
| 4 |  Guernsey | 19 | 37 | 31 | 87 |
| 5 |  Saaremaa | 16 | 12 | 6 | 34 |
| 6 |  Gotland | 13 | 14 | 16 | 43 |
| 7 |  Åland | 12 | 7 | 16 | 35 |
| 8 |  Cayman Islands | 11 | 10 | 9 | 30 |
| 9 |  Isle of Wight | 11 | 8 | 15 | 34 |
| 10 | Gibraltar* | 8 | 12 | 9 | 29 |
| 11 |  Menorca | 8 | 10 | 13 | 31 |
| 12 |  Western Isles | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 13 |  Greenland | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 14 |  Shetland | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14 |
| 15 |  Ynys Môn | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 |  Orkney | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 17 |  Bermuda | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| 18 |  Hitra | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 |  Sark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  Alderney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Falkland Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 Saint Helena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals (22 entries) | 193 | 192 | 219 | 604 | |
References
edit- ^ North Wales Chronicle article announcing tournament
- ^ "Guernsey to bid to host 2023 or 2025 Island Games". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 July 2014.
- ^ a b Law, James (6 July 2015). "Island Games: Menorca pull out of hosting 2019 event". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ Kneale, Dave (10 July 2015). "Isle of Man not in running to step in and host 2019 Island Games". Isle of Man Today. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Island Games: Gibraltar bid to host 2019 competition". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Gib set for 2019 NatWest Island Games". Gibraltar Chronicle. 11 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Ynys Mon to host unofficial 2019 'Island Games' football tournament". BBC. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "2019 Island Games: Gibraltar axes football, cycling and volleyball". BBC. 20 October 2015.
- ^ "Guernsey to host the 2021 Island Games". IIGA.
- ^ "2019 Island Games: Sports".
- ^ "Venues". Gibraltar 2019 Natwest International Island Games XVIII. Retrieved 13 June 2019.