The ceremony features the pouring of a bottle of water from each participating island into a water feature that is then kept running for the duration of the games.About 2,800 competitors from 23 islands will participate in 15 sports over the next week.
The islands involved come from across the globe.
They include Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, Åland, Saaremaa and Gotland from the Baltics, and from the South Atlantic, competitors from the Falklands and St Helena.This will be the biggest games since the event began in the Isle of Man in 1985.
Then there were 700 competitors from 15 islands who played seven sports.
It is also the first time that events are being held in locations other than in the host island, as Alderney, Sark and Herm – all part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey – will host football, shooting and mountain bike events.Other sports include athletics, badminton, golf, basketball, tennis, archery, triathlon, swimming, volleyball, cycling, gymnastics, sailing and windsurfing.
