A new 10-year strategy for sport has been published, setting out ambitions to upgrade facilities, improve participation rates and deliver the “greenest” International Island Games to date.
The Strategy for Sport 2026-36, published by the DESC, outlines eight overarching themes including infrastructure development, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability.
In a foreword to the document, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Daphne Caine MHK, said the strategy aims to ensure the island can “continue to enrich lives and strengthen communities through accessible opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity”.
“Sport on our Island has always been more than competition,” she added.
“It promotes health and wellbeing, builds confidence and creates lifelong opportunities. Over the past decade, we have seen its vital role not only in physical health but also in mental wellbeing, particularly for children and young people.”
Flagship
The 2029 Island Games is described as the “flagship event” of the strategy, with significant investment planned for the NSC including refurbishment of the athletics track, grandstand and Bowl Pitch.
The strategy commits to delivering the Games in a way that “maximises the number of local children and young people that can watch and experience the event”.
It also includes plans to partner local schools with visiting islands to “foster cultural awareness and exchange”.
The strategy also aims to support Public Health Isle of Man’s core priorities of “Starting and Learning Well, Living and Working Well and Staying Healthier for Longer”.
Programmes including Activ8, Healthy4Life and Activ4Health will be developed to support workforce resilience and provide pathways for those referred by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.