Post by pigeonpie on Jul 3, 2009 13:43:24 GMT
Fist gold medal for Menorca at the IGA games in Aland
The Menorcan team was selected following trials held over the last year in 14 different sports in which the athletes will compete (athletics, badminton, basketball, football, artistic gymnastics, golf, judo, swimming, tennis, table tennis, archery, shooting, sailing and volleyball). On its debut in the Games, on Rhodes two years ago, Menorca finished in seventh place out of a total 25, winning 11 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze medals. This year’s team will be hoping to equal, if not better, that performance.
Held every two years, the Island Games are restricted to 25 participating islands with populations of less than 125,000. The cost of Menorca’s participation on the Finnish island this year is 450,000 euros, 70% of which came from sponsorship by businesses, especially Sa Nostra and the Cova d’en Xoroi, with the Island Council, Balearic Government and Town Councils providing 150,000 euros.
The events started on Sunday and will finish this Saturday.
Sunday was not a good day for the Menorcan athletes, all of those competing in the heats failing to qualify for the next round, as was also the case for the badminton team.
The Menorcan Men’s football team are currently lying second in their group, having played two matches, drawn one (2:2 against the Shetlands) and won one (6:0 versus Greenland). Today they will play the hosts, Aland.
In the basketball competition, Menorca is lying at the top of Group A having won both games (75.40 against Gibraltar and 119:41 v the Isle of Man).
At the time of going to press, Menorca was lying midway in the medal table with one gold medal and two bronze.
The gold was won in the Women’s Team Tennis event, the Menorcans beating Saaremaa 2:0 in the quarter-finals to progress to the semis where they beat Jersey 2:0. The final against Gibraltar finished 2:0 in Menorca’s favour earning them the island’s first gold medal of the games.
The two bronze medals were both won at Judo; Jose Escrivà Estruch in the Men’s 81 kg. class and Bruno Sánchez Arnau in the 100 kg.
The Menorcan team was selected following trials held over the last year in 14 different sports in which the athletes will compete (athletics, badminton, basketball, football, artistic gymnastics, golf, judo, swimming, tennis, table tennis, archery, shooting, sailing and volleyball). On its debut in the Games, on Rhodes two years ago, Menorca finished in seventh place out of a total 25, winning 11 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze medals. This year’s team will be hoping to equal, if not better, that performance.
Held every two years, the Island Games are restricted to 25 participating islands with populations of less than 125,000. The cost of Menorca’s participation on the Finnish island this year is 450,000 euros, 70% of which came from sponsorship by businesses, especially Sa Nostra and the Cova d’en Xoroi, with the Island Council, Balearic Government and Town Councils providing 150,000 euros.
The events started on Sunday and will finish this Saturday.
Sunday was not a good day for the Menorcan athletes, all of those competing in the heats failing to qualify for the next round, as was also the case for the badminton team.
The Menorcan Men’s football team are currently lying second in their group, having played two matches, drawn one (2:2 against the Shetlands) and won one (6:0 versus Greenland). Today they will play the hosts, Aland.
In the basketball competition, Menorca is lying at the top of Group A having won both games (75.40 against Gibraltar and 119:41 v the Isle of Man).
At the time of going to press, Menorca was lying midway in the medal table with one gold medal and two bronze.
The gold was won in the Women’s Team Tennis event, the Menorcans beating Saaremaa 2:0 in the quarter-finals to progress to the semis where they beat Jersey 2:0. The final against Gibraltar finished 2:0 in Menorca’s favour earning them the island’s first gold medal of the games.
The two bronze medals were both won at Judo; Jose Escrivà Estruch in the Men’s 81 kg. class and Bruno Sánchez Arnau in the 100 kg.
