In a report entitled ‘Future of the Games’ the working party recommends that ‘a limit be set on the island team size, excluding team management and including both male and female members, for the following sports: athletics be limited to 24 members, shooting be limited to 16 members and swimming be limited to 16 members.In reply to the recommendations the Island Games Association of Jersey reject the proposal ‘on the grounds that it may preclude islands from entering some events’.’I think it’s absolutely ridiculous because all it does is to go against the basic ethos of the Games which is to get people experience,’ said Grimshaw.
‘The ethos is to encourage good sport and this does not.
Athletics is the centre of any Games – the Olympics, the Commonwealths – that’s what you go and see and if you restrict that you’re going to be ridiculously weak or ridiculously strong, depending on people’s attitude.’If you’ve only got 12 men and 12 women you can’t cover all the events.
I would have to leave several people at home and it becomes a nonsense.
It’s like saying in football “”you can only have nine players per team””.’I would not multi-event someone if they weren’t a multi-eventer.
The only people to advantage would be decathletes.’It would wreck people – the young ones would destroy their bodies and the older ones just couldn’t do it.’If the IGAJ has rejected the recommendation then that’s a good start.’
