Sport the ultimate winner at Specsavers Youth Games

Wow what a day!

The 9^th Specsavers Youth Games was once again a huge success culminating in a fun and colourful Closing Ceremony at Footes Lane on Saturday.

To the sound of the Samba Burros drums, nearly 700 children paraded around the track in front of a packed stand of parents. Proudly wearing their brightly coloured district t-shirts; faces painted and cheering on their team, their excitement at being part of such an amazing event was contagious.

'This year's Youth Games proved to be another huge success, with a record number of children taking part in a range of sports,’ said Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers who sponsored the event.

‘The games are a brilliant opportunity to encourage young people in Guernsey to nurture their interest in sport while also having the chance to grow their confidence and build new friendships. With the Island Games set to take place in 2023, we're hoping to have helped to inspire the next generation of athletes!'

West were pronounced the winners on the day, but the real winner was sport. With 20 different sports to choose from, including two sports new to the Games, there was something for everyone.

‘Many of our sports are already reporting that the children who took part want to continue and have signed up to carry on playing which is great news,’ said Jeremy Frith, the Guernsey Sports Commission’s Performance Director.

‘The Youth Games provides us with a fantastic opportunity to introduce new sports to our children and we are delighted that so many want to continue.’

‘Fair play is an important part of the Youth Games experience and the children also demonstrated wonderful team spirit, supporting each other and playing in a friendly and respectful way,’ said Jeremy.

This year’s Fair Play trophy was shared between the largest team, St Peter Port and the smallest team St Sampson’s.

Thanks to our sponsors, all children took home a medal, a reusable water bottle and their district t-shirts as well as a lot of happy memories.

Photos from the day will be available here