The Games first started in 1985 when the Isle of Man brought together athletes from 15 small islands around the world for a new sporting festival called the ‘Inter-Island Games’. It proved such a success that it was agreed that it should continue every other year. The Games have since grown to include 24 member islands: Áland, Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Froya, Gibraltar, Gotland, Gozo, Greenland, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Menorca, Orkney, Saaremaa, St Helena, Sark, Shetland, Western Isle and Ynys Mon.
