Lorraine Kelly named Orkney Island Games host

Presenter Lorraine Kelly will host the opening ceremony of the Island Games in Orkney this summer.

The broadcaster will welcome athletes from 24 islands and island groups across the world to Kirkwall for the biennial event in July.

The games, which feature 12 different sports, are taking place in Orkney for the first time and mark only the second time they have come to Scotland in their 40-year history.

Kelly, 65, who is also an ambassador for the event, said she was excited to showcase her "happy place" to visitors from around the globe.

Kelly will join BBC Radio Orkney presenter Stewart Bain in hosting the ceremony.

She said: "Orkney is a very special place to me and I've been visiting every year for the last 40 years, so this is an incredibly exciting opportunity.

"I can't wait to soak up the atmosphere—from the sporting action to meeting competitors and supporters from the 24 islands taking part.

"Orkney 2025 really is a great opportunity to share with the world just how special the islands are."

Orkney was initially chosen to host the 2023 edition of the games, but that was pushed back by two years after the 2021 event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

Investment from SportScotland and Orkney Islands Council has allowed for gymnastics facilities to be upgraded, while golf courses have also been maintained and developed in preparation.

The cycling road race will take place through the west mainland, while the triathlon winds its way through Stomness and the half marathon sees competitors race through Kirkwall.

More than 800 people have put themselves forward to volunteer as part of the event.

Shetland previously hosted the games in 2005, but since then they have been held in Jersey, Rhodes, Bermuda and Gibraltar, among others.

Games director Kirsty Talbot said she was looking forward to a "historic" event.

"The games will not only showcase the incredible talent of island athletes but also leave a lasting legacy for Orkney," she said.

"From newly developed sports clubs to improved facilities, this event is a catalyst for growth and participation in sports across the islands.

"We are truly looking forward to seeing how this landmark occasion will inspire future generations and highlight Orkney's unique sense of community and spirit."

Orkney will host the 20th edition of the Island Games this summer, celebrating 40 years since the event started.

Competitor teams each represent different island communities, plus the peninsula of Gibraltar, and are non-sovereign territories of European nations.

About 600 competitors from 15 islands took part in the first games on the Isle of Man in 1985 in what was intended as a one-off.

But its success created an appetite for more inter-island competition.

That has now grown to include more than 2,000 athletes from 24 islands or island groups competing across 12 disciplines; Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Cycling, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Sailing, Squash, Swimming and Triathlon.

Participants include the likes of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, as well as fellow UK dependencies such as the Isles of Man and Wight and Jersey.

But other competitors come from further afield. Menorca, in Spain, Saaremaa, a region of Estonia and the Maltese island of Gozo are among the other representatives competing at the 2025 games.

Alderney, Guernsey, Shetland, the Western Isles, Ynys Mon and Sark, with a population of just 600, make up the British Isles contingent.

Åland, an autonomous region of Finland, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, in the Carribbean, the Norwegian municipalities of Frøya and Hitra, Gotland, in Sweden, Gibraltar and the Danish territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands come from further afield.

St Helena, perched in the South Atlantic about 1,200 miles (1,950km) off the coast of Africa is by the far most remote representative.

Athletes arriving from the Falkland Islands are set to travel 8,268 miles (13,307 km) to take part.

Orkney is one of the smallest islands in terms of population to host the games.

The opening ceremony will take place in Kirkwall on 12 July.

But this edition of the games has not been without controversy.

Guernsey's men's football team, one of the favourites for the competition, pulled out due to being unable to find suitable travel and accommodation.

Other participating teams have also raised concerns about costs, while accommodation space is limited.

Some athletes will stay in dormitories set up in schools, but organisers have insisted they have enough beds.