About the games
The ‘Inter-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 as part of the Isle of Man's Year of Sport. Since then the Island Games take place every two years.
The idea of the Games is to provide an opportunity for hundreds of young sportsmen and women from small island communities, to compete and enjoy international competition against other islanders with similar standards of performance. Other benefits of such a unique festival of sport are the opportunities for cultural exchange and social interaction with visiting teams, and to establish new lifelong friendships with fellow islanders.
The number of Islands participating has grown substantially, and now 2
5 Islands are members of the International Island Games Association. NatWest Island Games XIII - Åland 2009 will probably be the biggest Games ever, with 3, 700 participants according to preliminary indications.
In many ways, sporting competition is only one aspect of the success of this event. As important are the opportunities it affords to share thoughts and experiences relating to our unique island stories. With that in mind, the theme for the title sponsor advertising has been NatWest - bringing islands together.
Medical Services Manager: 
We welcome all participants, sponsors and spectators to the 2009 NatWest Island Games in Åland.
As the Governor I am responsible for the administration of the Finnish State in Åland and I can assure you that I and my associates will do our very best to offer a high level of security during the Games in Åland 2009. I wish you all a warm welcome.