History of the Island Games and Falklands participation
by Patrick Watts, Chairman.

The ISLAND GAMES, sometimes mistakenly called the 'Small' Island Games, began in 1985 as the 'Inter-Island Games' and as part of the Isle of Man International Year of Sport and were intended to be a one-off sporting celebration only. Geoffrey Corlett who became the first Games Director, contacted not only the Islands surrounding Great Britain but encouraged the Scandinavians, Greenland, Iceland, Faroes, St Helena and others to participate. Initially 15 Islands, with 600 competitors and officials took part in 7 sports, with the total cost of staging the Games being put at 70,000 pounds. The track and field events were held on an 8 lane grass track, a far cry from next years Games which the Isle of Man will host for the second time, and which now boasts a new synthetic track in a stadium capable of holding 10,000 spectators. So successful were the Games of '85 that it was decided to hold a similar event 2 years later.
The 1987 Games were held on the Channel Island of Guernsey by which time the number of Islands had increased to 18, the number of sports to 9 and the number of competitors and officials to more than 1,000. The successful staging of the 2nd Games led to the formation of the Island Games Association (IGA) with Geoffrey Corlett being nominated as the first Secretary, and an Executive Committee established. The IGA remain the Governing body and their Constitution provides the guidelines for all competing Islands.
The 1989 Games on the Faroe Islands, which lie midway between Iceland and Norway but which belong to Denmark, saw a slight drop in participation to 15 Islands and 800 competitors and officials in 11 sports. Because the Faroes have few hotels, competitors were required to sleep in school halls and floors.
Despite the increasing Islands membership the Games were still relatively unknown and it was in the early 90's that the Falklands, having already taken part in the 1982. 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games, were made aware of the Island Games and Burned Peck traveled to Aaland (a Finnish Island where the population speak only Swedish) in 1991, as an 'observer' and his application for Falklands membership was overwhelmingly accepted the IGA membership. By now the number of sports featured in the Games had risen to 13., while schools were used again to provide sleeping quarters for some competitors.

Isle of Wight – 1993

In 1993 the first Falklands team, traveling by RAF Tri Star, coach and then ferry, were welcomed to the Isle of Wight, with participants in Athletics, Badminton, Golf, Shooting and Netball which was held as a Demonstration Sport. The accommodation facilities had by then improved to chalet type and the Falklands team made particular friends with sportsmen and women from Saaerma (Estonia), the Shetland Islands and Anglesey who were staying in the same hotel. The standard of competition was somewhat higher than expected but nevertheless the Falklands ladies team of Tracy Porter and Donna Williams combined to take a bronze medal in the Half-Marathon.

Gibraltar – 1995

The 1995 Games in Gibraltar attracted a small Falklands team of 3 - Clay Pigeon shooting and Ladies Half Marathon - as most of the sporting clubs concentrated their efforts on the 1997 Island Games on the Channel Island of Jersey.

Jersey - 1997

Until 1997 the Games had attracted little public or media interest, but the Jersey Organizing Committee embarked upon a huge marketing campaign which resulted in thousands attending the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, while a Television Documentary was filmed and screened on Channel T.V.
The Falklands participation was highlighted in a double page spread in the Daily Telegraph so bringing International recognition to the Islands through its sportsmen and women, while the team did not disappoint either with clutch of medals being won by the shooters on an almost daily basis. The McCallum brothers Tim and Chris shocked the Isle of Wight team in the full-bore pairs competition, making up an 11 point deficit on the final day, to snatch the silver medal, while Chris also took a bronze in the Queen's Prize competition. In Pistol events Graham Didlick and David Peck won silver and several bronze medals so providing a tremendous boost to the Falklands golfers, badminton players, athletes and swimmers. Graham and David took the NPA Service Pistol B pairs silver medal and a further 2 bronze medals, while Graham also took home an individual bronze. The young Falklands swimmers all achieved personal bests (p.b's.) while the Badminton pair of Nicky Luxton and Douglas Clarke scored a notable victory over a Gibraltarian pair in the consolation play-offs. FIOGA were very fortunate in obtaining 50% of the competitors fares through the generosity of Falklands Councilors who kindly sanctioned the cash allocation, so giving a tremendous boost to Falklands participation in the International sporting arena.
St Helena which took part in the first Games in '85 but were unable to attend subsequent Games re-appeared following a cash injection from the Jersey organising committee.

Gotland – 1999

The 1999 Natwest Island Games, as they are now officially known following a sponsorship agreement between the Natwest Bank and the IGA, were held on Gotland, a large Swedish Island in the Baltic. Visby, the historic capital, is a charming ancient town surrounded by a huge stone wall which was built to keep invading Danes out centuries ago. Small cobbled stone streets with cosy cafes and restaurants ensures that traffic is kept to a minimum. The number of competitors had by 1999 risen to nearly 2,000 with several hundred officials adding to the total, while the number of Islands had increased to 22 with the acceptance of the Cayman Islands and Rhodes (Greece) into the IGA, and both Islands claimed a series of medals in various sports.
The Falklands team were again indebted to Government who provided considerable financial assistance while the Falkland Islands Company, as they have since 1993, kindly continued to sponsor the official tracksuits worn by all competitors. The Falklands shooters again excelled and Police Sergeant Graham Didlick wrote his name into the sporting history books by being the first Islander to win a GOLD medal at an Island/Commonwealth Games after a record breaking shoot in the Black Powder muzzle loading rifle event. With newcomer Ped's score, the combined total ensured a silver medal for the Falklands in the pairs discipline, while the Didlick/Ped pairing also took home a silver in the Black Powder breach loading rifle event. Individually Graham added another 2 bronze medals to his total, in the Police Pistol 1 and NPA Service B categories.
In the Full-Bore shooting Kenny Aldridge and Timmy McCullum held off a spirited challenge from the St. Helenian team to win a bronze medal in the 300m team event, so completing a very successful Games for the Falklands. In the swimming pool the 8 young swimmers all achieved p.b.'s in their events, so providing valuable experience for future Games, while the athletes put up some good times, and the golfers posted better scores than in previous Games.

Isle of Man – 2001

Isle of Man (IOM) - 2001, witnessed the first appearance of a Falklands soccer team at an Island Games competition. After the long and tiresome journey to Gotland, two years previously, most of the 40 strong team enjoyed a somewhat shorter route this time. The RAF TriStar flight to Brize Norton, was followed by a coach (which broke down) trip to Liverpool, and a relatively short ferry crossing to Douglas, the IOM capital. The team stayed at the hospitable Rutland Hotel, and the proprietors confirmed their pleasure at having the Falklands team, by writing a letter of appreciation to the Penguin News.
The 9th Games also saw, at the instigation of the Falklands, and after several years of persuasion, the introduction of the ‘Small Islands Certificates’.
Drawn in a tough group featuring the host Island and the eventual gold medalists, the Falklands soccer team played well and the 9-0 defeat against the Isle of Man was in no way a true reflection of the balance of play. Holding Guernsey to a 3-0 score-line was a commendable result. The team disappointed against Greenland in the play-offs for the final positions, losing 4-0. However they came back strongly to defeat the much larger populated Orkney Islands 4-1 in the 11/12th place play-off.
Colin Buckland 2, Jeremy ‘Spurs’ Henry and Stephen Aldridge scored the goals.
With perpetual medal winner Graham Didlick unable to attend the Games, and no Full-Bore shooting events, the Falklands, for the first time since 1995, failed to pick up a medal. Saul Pitaluga came close, making the final of the Clay Pigeon Individual Trap event, but having to settle for 5th place. His performance though earned him a Gold Certificate.
The Small Islands Certificates were introduced primarily to provide an extra competitive edge for the six competing Islands with populations of 10,000 or under, namely: Alderney, Sark, Froya & Hitra (2 Norwegian Islands), Falklands and St. Helena.
Provided three of these Islands are competing in a particular discipline, gold & silver Certificates are awarded to the highest and 2nd highest placed competitors of the small Islands. If four or more small Islands are involved in a respective discipline, then gold, silver & bronze Certificates are awarded. Initially a medal winner from one of the ‘small’ Islands could not additionally receive a Certificate, but following a proposal from the Falklands at the 2004 AGM of the IGA, it has been agreed that in future a medal winner will also be eligible for a Certificate.
Sharon Marsh won a bronze Certificate in the Ladies golf singles while Gary Clement & Saul Pitaluga won a Silver Certificate in Clay Pigeon pairs event. The Certificates were framed by FIOGA, and presented to the winning competitors at Government House by the Governor.
The Badminton, Swimming, Golf and Athletics team members performed creditably and several p.b’s were achieved by the swimmers and athletes.

Guernsey 2003

The 2003 Guernsey Games saw the Falklands take home a silver and two bronzes medals in shooting, while Glenn Ross established a new 4 round golf score, Douglas Clark got through to the second round of the mens badminton singles, several of the swimmers obtained p.b’s. and Sarah Allan lowered the Half-Marathon best.
The Falklands finished a very creditable 16th position in the overall medals table, ahead of the larger populated Orkney Islands & Prince Edward Islands.
A relatively smooth journey for the Falklands team, saw most competitors take a coach from Brize Norton to Poole in Dorset, and fast ferry across to Guernsey.
After missing the 2001 Games, Graham Didlick returned in style, winning a silver medal in the N.P.A. Police Pistol 1 Individual event, with a score of 290, 4 points clear of the bronze medalist. He held off challenges from shooters representing the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Gotland, Gibraltar and Jersey. Graham also won a bronze medal in the N.P.A. Service Pistol B Individual shoot, despite finishing with the same score as the silver medalist from Guernsey.
The Falklands Full-Bore shooters Gareth Goodwin & Chris McCallum secured a bronze medal in the Queens Pairs Shoot, totaling 566 which left them 36 points ahead of the Isle of Wight pair. Gareth scored 287 and Chris 279. In the Queens Individual event, Gareth finished 6th with 381 and Chris 7th on 377.
Saul Pitaluga maintained his high standard of shooting in the Clay Pigeon events, winning a Gold Certificate in the ISSF Automatic Ball Trap discipline. His final score of 101 left him in 12th place, ahead of other Small Islands competitors from Sark & Alderney. Saul also finished in 12th position in the ISSF Olympic Trap Individual.
The Falklands Golf team maintained their improvement and individually produced better scores than in previous Games, finishing with a combined score of exactly 1000.
Glenn Ross established a new Falklands 4 round total with a score of 322, which left him in 39th position, the highest ever placing for a Falklands competitor. He returned a 77 in the 1st round, and a 76 in the 2nd round. Roy Smith who was ready to go home after an opening 100, recovered magnificently to equal Glenn’s 76, also in the 2nd round. Kevin Clapp returned a creditable 80 in the final round.
Sharon Marsh finished in 39th position in the Ladies singles with a score of 396.
In the Swimming Pool, Kerri Ross & Donna Triggs achieved personal bests in several disciplines, so providing further encouragement for Falklands swimmers in the future.
The Badminton team of Douglas Clark, Ian France, Nikki Luxton, Lyn Brownlee & Trudi Clarke enjoyed their best games to date. Douglas advanced to the 2nd round of the Mens singles and in the group games scored an impressive 2-0 victory over a Gibraltarian player. He also chalked up another singles win against an Orkney Islands player.
Trudi Clark had a straight sets win against a lady from Bermuda while Nikki Luxton & Lyn Brownlee also scored a straight sets win in their doubles game against Bermuda, where the Falklands were narrowly edged out 3-2.
Athletics: Kyle Biggs tackled the difficult 400 & 800 meters events on the track, while youngster Roxanne Morrison gained valuable experience by running in the 1,500m.
All-rounder David Fyfe in took on a tough challenge entering the 5,000m, 10,000m & Half-Marathon where he finished 26th. Sarah Allan, who, owing to a heavy cold, had struggled to complete the Half-Marathon two years previously, ran brilliantly in Guernsey. She established a p.b. finishing in a most creditable 9th place in a strong field of athletes.
Once again the Falklands team were indebted to the Falkland Islands Company for their tracksuit sponsorship. Similarly the 7,500 pounds annual subvention, provided by the Falkland Islands Government went a long way to assisting with air fares.

Shetland – 2005

The Falklands will send 31/32 competitors and 4/5 officials to the Games in Shetlands.
They will be represented in Golf (4), Badminton (2), Football (18), Swimming (4), Table Tennis (1) & Clay Pigeon Shooting (3).

Graham Didlick, the Falklands most successful competitor who has also competed in the Commonwealth Games (1998 + 2002) in pistol events, will compete in Shetlands in Clay Pigeon shooting events. Saul Pitaluga, who represented the Falklands in the 1994, 1998 & 2002 Commonwealth Games, will again compete in Shetlands in clay pigeon shooting.

15 year old Edward Freer and 14 year old Hannah Arthur-Almond both represented the Falklands in swimming events at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia.

Douglas Clark represented the Falklands at badminton in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. In Shetlands he will captain the Football Team. His brother Craig is also in the squad.

None of our competitors hold Island Games records in disciplines organized in Shetlands, although Graham Didlick holds the Individual Witworth Class 4 (Black Powder Pistol) Island Games record with a score of 85, set in Gotland.

Golfer Kevin Clapp has appeared at every Island Games where golf has been played since 1993. Shetlands will be his 6th Games.

Being in the Southern Hemisphere the football season which runs in the summer from October to March has ended. The footballers have been keeping fit by using the indoor facilities of the British Forces based on the islands. During the current season, the team remained unbeaten when playing Military units on the Islands. It is considered that this team is slightly stronger than the team which went to the IOM in 2001 – the first time a Falklands football team had entered the Games. Then, in the 11/12th place play-off the Falklands surprisingly beat the larger Orkney islands by 4-1.
4 of the football team, Adam Glanville, Robin Benjamin, Jeremy ‘Spurs’ Henry and Michael Moyce were born on the neighbouring Island of St Helena, 4000 miles from the Falklands, but qualifies to play for the Falklands through their long residency. (St Helena does not enter a football team in the Island games).

3 of the football team, Kyle Biggs, Michael Betts & Robin Benjamin are at college in England while Daniel Biggs (26) will travel from university in Australia to play. His brother Kyle (19) is also in the squad, while their younger brother Lucas (14) will play table tennis singles. Mother & Father, Peter & Fran Biggs are coming from the Falklands to support their sons. Peter is a full-time Major in the Falklands Islands Defence Force and ran in the 10,000m event in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

23 year old Anna Luxton is the Falklands qualified physiotherapist, and will look after all 31/32 competitors. She will also play in the mixed badminton doubles with Ben Watson.
Anna has recently undertaken a special course in sports injuries physio in preparation for these Games, and will be seen running onto the pitch to attend any footballer in need of medical help.

13 year old Thomas Burston (swimmer) will have plenty of family support. His Mother, Father, sister Caitlin (10) and 1 year old sister Emma-Jayne are going all the way to Shetlands to support him.

Most Falklands competitors will had to have left the Falklands a full week in advance of the Games, because of the air connections not tying in the with ‘Van Gogh’s’ sailing. They will stay with relatives and friends in England prior to boarding the ‘Van Gogh’ in Tilbury on Thursday 7th July. They will either have travelled through Santiago, Chile, which means having left the Falklands on the previous Saturday 2nd July, over-nighting in Santiago, catching a flight the next day to Madrid, changing there, after a 5 hours stop, for a flight to London, arriving on Monday evening!!

Others may take the RAF flight, also on Saturday, with an 8 hours direct flight to Ascension Island, in mid-Atlantic, followed by a further 8 hours to Brize Norton, arriving there early on Sunday morning.

With the cost of air fares, staying over in England, and accommodation on the ship during the Games, it is estimated that it will cost 2,500 pounds for each competitor attending the Island Games of 2005.

Please note: At the instigation of the FALKLAND ISLANDS OVERSEAS GAMES ASSOCIATION, the Island Games Association finally agreed in 2001 to introduce the ‘Small Islands Certificates”. All islands of populations of 10,000 and less, namely Alderney, Sark, Froya, Hitra, St Helena & Falklands, are eligible to compete. Gold, Silver & Bronze certificates are awarded to competitors from these ‘small’ islands based on their results in the medal competitions. However 3 of the ‘small’ islands must be competing in a respective discipline before gold & silver certificates are awarded. 4 competing islands allows gold, silver & bronze to be awarded. Competitors can also win gold, silver or bronze medals, which are still the main aim, but the certificates have added an extra competitive edge for the ‘small’ islands of the IGA.

Falkland Results 1993 - 2001

Island Games Falkland Medals 1993-2001