The 14th edition of the Island Games will take place on the island between May 25 and 30, mobilising nearly 1,300 participants, revealed the Regional Director for Sport in Ponta Delgada on Friday.
At a press conference, António Gomes provided information on the logistics that is involving the organisation of these games, a partnership that joins the Government and sports associations in the Azores, and stressed that this is an important sports event which coincides with the celebration of the Azores as the European Region of the Year 2010.
The islands that will participate in the 14th edition of the Island Games are the Azores, the Canary Islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Corsica, Elba, Guadeloupe, Jersey, Korcula, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Sardinia, Sicily and Wight.
The performance of young athletes will be assessed in the following sports: track and field, swimming, handball, basketball, gymnastics, judo, tennis, table tennis, sailing and volleyball. Track and field and swimming are the sports that register the highest number of participants.
The opening ceremony will be marked by the inauguration of the renewal works of the Laranjeiras Sports Hall, an important venue for the organisation of this event.
According to the Regional Director for Sport, the other competitions will be held at the facilities of some schools in Ponta Delgada in order to provide youngsters with an opportunity to assist and learn in the context of their school curriculum.
Most of the events of the Island Games will take place in Ponta Delgada; however some events will also be held in Ribeira Grande although special emphasis will be put on the organisation of same competitions to be held at the “Pavilhão do Mar” at the “Portas do Mar,” such as the judo competition.
The games will be disseminated by a promotional campaign which includes outdoors, advertising panels and a webpage on the portal of the Regional Government at www.jogosdasilhas.com.
This interactive page, with graphically appealing colours, will provide all the information about the games, being daily updated with the results of the competitions. In addition, visitors may also find a multimedia presentation to promote the Azores.
On this occasion, a commemorative stamp with the logo of the games was released, representing the union between the hawk of a tail and the tail of a whale, which for the Regional Director for Sport is an initiative that aims to comprise the entire population of the Azores.
With a one million Euro budget, this is an event that António Gomes expects to bring promotional assets not only for the Region, but also for athletes, bearing in mind that this event allows the exchange of youngsters from various regions.