BARDON VECTIS TO SPONSOR ATHLETICS

AT THE NATWEST ISLAND GAMES 2011 
 

Isle of Wight based, Bardon Vectis, has announced that they will be supporting the NatWest Island Games 2011, an international event taking place on the Island next year (25 June – 1 July) by becoming the title sponsor of the Athletics. 

Thousands of international and world class athletes and officials from 25 member islands around the world will compete in several hundred events across 14 sports during the course of the week, making it the largest international multi-sport event ever held on the Isle of Wight, and the biggest games to date. 

The Isle of Wight Island Games Association, responsible for organising the games, has also received support from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games who will be using the games as a test bed for their sports officials involved in the Olympic programme. 

Colin Jones, General Manager with Bardon Vectis, is looking forward to getting involved with the Games and commented: “As an Isle of Wight business, we are always very keen to promote the island and support island events. Teamwork is a key part of our success which makes this sponsorship especially relevant to our employees, many of whom are big athletics fans.” 

Athletics Team Manager, Nick Groocock said "We have a wealth of talented athletes on the Isle of Wight, and to have this support from Bardon Vectis, an international company with a long standing base on the Island, is superb. It will help to guarantee that we are able to put on an International event of the highest calibre. Technical expertise will come from the mainland but we are busy training local volunteers that have been associated with the club to be an integral and vital part of running the programme." 

The NatWest Island Games has become one of the largest participation events in the world behind the Olympics and Commonwealth Games and provides the platform for the Islands talented athletes to experience and progress in the international sporting arena.     Islander, Andy Frost, for example, who has held the Gold for hammer in the NatWest Island Games since 2005, has this year come fourth in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi for the second time. 

Other Isle of Wight athletes of the calibre of Kim Murray, James Groocock, James Forman, Joe Wade, Keno Mario Ghae and Aiya Abe have all competed in the World Island Youth Games at various islands around the world.    These performances and their commitment to their events and training have enabled them to gain England U20/U23 international vests. 

Many of the athletes who are competing for a place in the Isle of Wight team for the NatWest Island Games 2011 have been part of the IW World Island Youth Games team over the last seven years which has acted as a springboard for them to continue in the sport and to work towards selection for the 2009 / 2011 and 2013 games.

Bardon Vectis is the number one provider of quarrying and construction materials on the Isle of Wight including aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and precast concrete products.

To find out more about the NatWest Island Games 2011 visit www.natwestislandgames2011.co.uk.