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Woods re-elected to oversee Gibraltar 2019 plans

News release - 26th October 2017

Looking south across the Gibraltar airport and the Rock of Gibraltar, with the Strait of Gibraltar in the distance. Credit: Gibraltar Tourist BoardShetland Island Games Association last night re-elected Karen Woods as Chair, to oversee Team Shetland’s preparations for the next NatWest International Island Games in Gibraltar in July 2019. 

The Association’s Biennial General Meeting also saw Bob Kerr re-elected as Secretary although the Association is seeking a new Treasurer, as Eileen Mowat has stepped down from the role after six years. 

The next Games will take place from Saturday 6th – Friday 12th July 2019 in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory dominated by the famous Rock of Gibraltar and with a population of around 33,000.  The Gibraltar Island Games Association has been a regular Games participant since 1987 and previously hosted the Games in 1995. 

The 2019 Games will include a programme of fourteen sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, judo, sailing, shooting, squash, swimming, table tennis, tenpin bowling, tennis and triathlon.  

The sports of bowling, judo, sailing and squash will make a return to the 2019 Games, having been excluded from this year’s Games that were held in the Swedish island of Gotland. 

However, the list of sports on offer doesn’t include some well-known sports in which Shetland has competed at previous Games, namely - archery, bowls, football, golf, gymnastics and indoor volleyball.    It is expected that the absence of these sports, and particularly the lack of the team sports of football and volleyball, will reduce the overall numbers of participants at the 2019 Games.

There is a strong likelihood that there may be other single sports ‘inter-island’ competitions held in 2019 to bring these sports together outside of the formal Games competition.

Newly re-elected Chair of Shetland Island Games Association, Karen Woods, pleased to see Team Shetland boarding the charter flight from Aberdeen to Gotland in June this year. Credit: SIGA Enlarge Image Karen Woods said: “The dust has barely settled on a really successful Games for us in Gotland and we’re now looking ahead to the 2019 Games.  I’m honoured to be re-elected as Chair to work with our sports representatives on our plans for Gibraltar in 2019.  Although it’s a geographically small territory they have some excellent sports facilities and are experienced participants at the Games.  We hope to have a sizeable team competing in Gibraltar although we will miss some of our regular sports who will unfortunately not be included in 2019.”

Earlier this year, Team Shetland fielded around 129 competitors and officials to take part in the 2017 Games in Gotland, competing in eleven sports and returning with 14 medals including four gold, five silver and five bronze.  

The Official Sponsor to Team Shetland is Malakoff Limited – Shetland’s best choice for marine, mechanical, fabrication and civil engineering. http://www.malakofflimited.co.uk/

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