Image credit: International Island Games Association

3 April 2023:  The NatWest International Island Games return for the first time in four years this summer, 8-14 July 2023. Usually held every two years, delayed in 2021 due to Covid restrictions, the games bring thousands of athletes from across the world connecting island communities together in one big ‘Mini Olympics’.

The inaugural games was held in the Isle of Man in 1985 and the 19th tournament will be held this year on the island of Guernsey. Over the course of a week, athletes from 24 different islands will compete in over 18 different sports which include archery, volleyball, tennis, sailing, basketball and swimming. The games are open to competitors as young as 13 and some of the world’s finest sportsmen and women began their competitive sporting careers in the games including Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man), Mattias Sunneborn (Gotland), Cydonie Mothersille (Cayman Islands) and Pál Joensen (Faroe Islands), all of whom progressed to become elite international champions and Olympians.

Whilst the athletes competing in the competition endure months of rigorous training to achieve sporting excellence, the games are also a chance for thousands of young people to experience new cultures, create everlasting memories and friendships, and sometimes friendly rivalries too. 

The sports charter team at Smart Aviation have been busy quoting and finalising charters for teams to attend the games. As the leaders in global sports chartering, the team is highly experienced in flying teams and fan groups to key fixtures, but charters to the International Island Games really call on our 200 years combined sporting expertise. 

Samantha White, Head of Business Development at Smart Aviation, said: “We are big fans of the International Island Games but you have to be extremely knowledgeable when handling charters for it. Sometimes we face difficulty with airlines not being able to commit to blocking aircraft off for that one week period, when they may be contacted about offering a more regular service for a client, with more guaranteed departures.”

Sam added: “Another obvious challenge is that the runways on islands are particularly short, so you become restricted on which aircraft are able to fly in. This presents another challenge as sometimes we have to put smaller groups onto regional jets to fly in directly and the holds on these jets are smaller, which can put restrictions on accommodating all the equipment that the athletes need. There’s a lot of kit of varying sizes being flown into the islands for these games. From hockey sticks and golf clubs to massage tables and stretchers, you can end up with two different teams onboard both with contrasting baggage requirements. A comprehensive packing list from the client is vital so we know in plenty of time what kit they are planning to bring. “

“We always offer seamless solutions to these requests but my advice would be to always be prepared for the unprepared and expect the unexpected”, said Sam. 

Smart Aviation was founded in 2005 by Managing Director Mark Hawkins, an established sports charter specialist with over 30 years’ experience in senior operational roles within the travel and aviation industry, including managing sports charters at Excel Airways. Over the last 17 years, Mark has led Smart Aviation to become the leaders in global sports chartering. Mark is still very active in sports chartering, frequently providing air travel for global sports teams to key sporting fixtures including Champions League and Premier League football matches, as well as to ice-hockey, boxing, basketball, golf, motorsport and cricket tournaments.

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