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Mail leads race for Island Games

The Holyhead & Anglesey Mail has launched a campaign to bring the Island Games to Anglesey in 2009.

The weekly paper has begun an eight-week fight called Game Mon – Mon being Welsh for Anglesey – in a bid to rally support before a decision is made next summer.

An official bid has to be submitted by the island’s council by the end of the year, and the Mail’s coverage of the issue is set to be included in the proposal as they fight off competition from rivals Aland, between Sweden and Finland, and Saameraa, off Estonia.

The paper’s campaign is focusing on what Anglesey can offer the games, and has already won the backing of world-record-breaking hurdler Colin Jackson and Anglesey-born Olympic marathon runner Tracey Morris (below).

Reporter Paul Scott, who is spearheading the campaign, said: “Anglesey has a strong sporting tradition and participation is very high for such a rural area.

“It is also a welcoming place where people are very friendly and hospitable, and this is the sort of event that the people of Anglesey are crying out for and could do justice to.

“It is the ideal setting and could make 2009 one of the more memorable games.”

  • The Island Games were born in the Isle of Man in 1985, with the intention of bringing together a number of small islands from different parts of the world in friendly competition.

    They are held every two years and there are currently 24 member islands who compete in 15 sports. The last games were held on Guernsey in 2003 with the next games being held in Shetland in 2005, and Rhodes in 2007.

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