Island Games 2023: Competition an amazing target, Manx coach says

Martin Bullock won two gold medals at the first Island Games in 1985

The Island Games is an "amazing target" for athletes, a coach who competed in the inaugural event on the Isle of Man has said.

Martin Bullock won gold in the 400m race and was part of the 4x100m relay team during the first games in 1985.

Now the Isle of Man's relay team coach, he said it was a "massive opportunity" for competitors who aspire to go on to the Commonwealth Games in future.

The 2023 Games in Guernsey get underway with an opening ceremony on Saturday.

Reflecting on the first event, which was then called the Inter-Island Games, Mr Bullock said "everyone got to know each other and we had such a great time".

However, he said he did not have such fond memories of the dark and light blue tracksuits as they were "really, really awful".

Focal point

He also recalled half marathon competitors being confused by the TT course mile markers, which had not been covered up and were showing different distances than the ones marked out for the event.

It was "fantastic" to see the runners completed their race by crossing the finish line on the dance floor of a nightclub in Douglas to rounds of applause from the audience who had packed into the venue, he said.

Mr Bullock said the games had grown in stature since they were created and he now saw them as a potential springboard to the Commonwealth Games for competing nations.

The event was a focal point for athletes, while providing the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and different backgrounds, he added.

The 2023 Island Games, which run from 8 to 14 July, will see about 2,500 competitors and officials from 24 islands compete across 14 sports.

The biennial competition should have been held in 2021, but was delayed by two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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