The Autonomous Region of the Azores will be represented by the Regional Director for Sports at the General Assembly of the Organising Committee of the Island Games (COJI), which takes place in the French Polynesia from November 7 to November 14. 

In addition to an electoral process to take place under the statutory scheme, the organising island / Region of the 14th edition of the Island Games in 2010 will be decided at this meeting to be held in Papeete (Tahiti).

The Azores have integrated this sports event since 1998.  

The meeting will also be attended not only by the Regional Directorate for Sports, António Santos, but also by a member of the same Regional Directorate in the area of operational management, who is in charge of the Island Games project.

In addition to the General Assembly Azorean representatives will participate in ceremonial receptions with the Presidency and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and the Voluntary Sector in Tahiti as well as its Olympic Committee.

With regard to the Island Games, meetings with the Sports Federations and the MEP for the Pacific will also take place during the event.

The Island Games are an insular sports movement that aims to create a spirit of European citizenship in the context of the Olympic ideal, which conveys to youngsters, through sport, a sport message based on fair play and on the respect for the others. 

Furthermore, it also allows the gathering of youngsters from different origins, but who have insularity as their common background.

These games are organised according to the international rules and are held in different insular regions every year. Teams are composed by youngsters up to the age of the cadets (15-16 years), whose sports situation is supported by the respective national sports federations.

Given the increasing quality of the organization as well as of the competition, the different islands / Regions that make up this movement have been acknowledging the participation in these Games as a privileged training opportunity for their young athletes, particularly for the most talented.

The participation in the Island Games is very important not only for the opportunities, but also for the quality of the competitive experiences provided to youngsters who are in an age group considered fundamental for the development of the sports process.