Basketball team ‘buzzing’ at Island Games return

Manx basketball players have said there were "lots of celebrations" after it was confirmed the sport would return at the next Island Games in the Faroe Islands. Judo, basketball, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball have been added to the programme in 2027 after their omission at this year's competition in Orkney. But golf, sailing, lawn bowls and squash have not make the cut for the next contest. Captain of the Manx women's basketball team Becky Dunne said the squad was "buzzing" after they found out the news from the Faroe Islands team while taking part in a recent satellite tournament in Ynys Mon.Basketball last featured at the Guernsey Games in 2023, where the team lost 73-55 in the bronze medal play-off against the hosts in front of a passionate home crowd. Dunne said while the sport was growing on the Isle of Man, they still play in a men's league, so "don't get the opportunity play as a women's team unless we travel off island". She said basketball's return to the multi-sport contest would "give us the opportunity play at another level, with an end goal we can work towards". The captain said the players had been "gutted" to not be part of the Manx team in Orkney but "were cheering from home". She said while the team understood why the sport was not featured as "it needs a lots of sports hall, which for a smaller island it's just not manageable", taking home gold from the mini-tournament in Anglesey recently "had been a great experience" for the squad. "We know we can win medals, we have the skillset and the talent, it's just about being able to get that experience," she added.