Guernsey's NatWest Island Games will take place between 8 and 14 July 2023.
The island was due to welcome athletes from across the world to the event this year, but the International Island Games Association decided to delay the competition for two years coronavirus pandemic
The announcement means that next games, which were due to be hosted in Orkney, will be pushed back.
I am delighted that Member Islands can now begin looking forward to what will be an exciting summer of sport in 2023 and we would like to thank the Guernsey 2023 Organising Committee for their commitment in making certain the Games are staged and preserving this important competitive opportunity for athletes from our Member Islands.
Jorgen Pettersson, Chair of the International Island Games Association The team coordinating the Games in Guernsey says it was able to pick up much of its original planning following the postponement, and has been working alongside sporting bodies on the island to ensure the dates are suitable.
We have taken some time to liaise with the 14 sports here in Guernsey that will be part of the Games to ensure the dates will work for them. The sporting calendar is still changing due to other events being postponed and moved as a result of the global pandemic, so there will inevitably be an overlap with other events, but hopefully these dates will work for all of the islands and sports.
Julia Bowditch, Games Director for Guernsey 2023 More than 3,000 athletes and officials from 23 island nations were due to meet at the games in 2021.
However, the organising committee is hopeful that despite the setbacks, it can continue the momentum from its original planning and produce an event that will live long in the memory.
Although things will be quieter on the Games front over the next few months, we hope that everyone will still stay involved. This is far more than just a sporting event - it brings together islands in a moment of celebration. We will use this time to work as hard as we can to put on the best event possible and give Guernsey and the other Member Islands something to look forward to.
Dame Mary Perkins, Chair of the Guernsey 2023 Organising Committee
