Faroe Islands - 1989
Legacy - Faroe Islands Host to the 1989 Games:
The Faroe Islands, Host of the 1989 Games, is a good example of how the excellent organisation of our Games – e.g. a large international multi-sport event, has had a great positive impact on the development of sports and local community, as can be seen by their answers to the questions below:
Q. What do you see as the biggest legacy of hosting the Games on your island in 1989?
A. Overall the biggest legacy has been to firmly establish the Games as the most important international multi-sport event for athletes from the Faroes. Athletes in most sports have participation in the NatWest Island Games as an important goal in their sports careers.
Q. What were the impacts of hosting the Games on sport (including venues) and physical activity on your island?
A. The 1989 Games helped to develop sports and venues. In terms of venues we built our first athletics track for the Games.
Q. Did Hosting the Games in 1989 influence the popularity and importance of the NatWest Island Games on your island?
A. Local interest in the NatWest Island Games experienced a large growth after we hosted the Games in 1989. The Faroese media (two radio stations, two newspapers and one TV station) has sent between 10-20 media representatives to every Games since. The Games dominate broadcasts, newspapers and online media during the Games week. The importance of the Games is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that we have heard local sponsors give higher priority to sponsoring our NatWest Island Games teams than sponsoring national teams competing in preliminary rounds of European and World Championships.
Q. What were the economic impacts of hosting the Games on your island?
A. The 800 visiting athletes and officials attending the Games had an immediate economic impact using hotels, restaurants etc. in addition to buying supplies and services. The investment in sports infrastructure had a large impact as well. The Faroese Government also gave a grant to the organisation of the 1989 Games. The surplus from these Games of just over £100.000 was divided into two funds: one has the purpose a building and maintaining a sports museum in the Faroes while the other uses the interest of its funds to support the participation of the Faroese Teams in the Games.
Q. What were the social impacts of hosting the Games, particularly in terms of volunteering, the cultural sector and community engagement?
A. Volunteering has a strong tradition in the Faroes but the recruitment and training of officials was upgraded in connection with the Games. The 1989 Games were held in different locations around the Faroes and home stay was widely used for accommodation. This had the effect of involving local communities in the events that were held in their local area.
