The Western Isles Island Games Association (WIIGA) has finalised selection for the International Island Games this summer.
The week-long international event is this year hosted by Orkney, one of the 24 member
islands, between 12 July and 18 July. The Orkney Games will be WIIGA’s tenth games
since their first in Shetland in 2005, and the Western Isles 20th anniversary of
competing.
WIIGA will take a squad of 105 covering 10 sports to Orkney, which includes athletes, coaches, management and medical team.
The Western Isles is competing in 10 sports - archery, athletics, badminton, bowls,
cycling, men’s football, women’s football, men’s golf, women’s golf and swimming.
The squad includes golfers, Colin Macritchie and Jane Nicolson, while Jessica Macleod and Jack Maclennan are amongst the footballers.
Swimmer Kara Hanlon and cyclist, Kerry MacPhee, are on the list as well.
Tony Wesley is competing in athletics, brother and sister Ben and Ellie Denehy are with badminton team while Peter O’Donnell (lawn bowls) and Louise Campbell (archery) are also heading to Orkney.
The games provide an opportunity for island athletes to compete at a high-level international
event, which will be one of the biggest multi-sports events in this year’s global
sporting calendar. The Orkney organisers expect over 4,000 participants, officials
and media to attend.
General team manager, Iain GG Campbell, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce the squad travelling to compete in Orkney.
“Continuing our aims to provide the opportunity for our most talented young athletes to compete at international level with over 50% of the participating athletes under 25. The announcement of the squad is always eagerly awaited and I would like to congratulate all those who have been selected.
“Orkney were originally scheduled to host the 2023 Games but the Covid-19 pandemic
has delayed their big moment. It is exciting to see new talent emerging and we are
really looking forward to seeing how they react to the scale of the games and the
standard of competition they will encounter.”
He added: “The standards at the Island Games are incredibly high with many top international athletes competing across the range of sports. Overall, these games will allow us to assist the development of our younger athletes, with a sprinkling of more experienced athletes pushing to qualify for finals and hopefully challenge for medals.
“The hope now is that everyone’s final preparations go well and that they all stay injury free. We are really looking forward to seeing this group represent our Islands in Orkney.”
WIIGA chair, Norrie Macdonald said: “There is a lot of hard work that goes into getting to this stage from the athletes vying for selection, club coaches and team managers supporting their athletes and making some hard choices on occasions, and the WIIGA committee dealing with the logistics of getting the squad to Orkney. We are incredibly grateful to all who give their time to provide this amazing opportunity for our talented sports stars.
“The Island Games is a key part of the jigsaw in encouraging our communities to be
more active and giving confidence to our young people that they can compete at a
high level against athletes from around the world - and showcase Western Isles sporting
talent. A huge congratulations to all the selected athletes, their coaches and families.”
Bakkafrost Scotland is the main sponsor of the squad while many individual sports teams have received financial support from local businesses and organisations.
Western Isles squad selected for International Island Games
17 April 2025
