Skanco is the latest Isle of Man business to become a Team Isle of Man Champion. A total of 10 Island businesses will be announced as Team Isle of Man Champions in the countdown to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games as part of an initiative to help raise funds to send a strong team to the event. Skanco – a leading provider of professional IT services which has been supporting local sport for the last 27 years – is the second business to become a Team Isle of Man Champion.
The Champions campaign will also raise awareness of the Games, and celebrate the sense of national pride that we will all share next July when Team Isle of Man takes part in the opening ceremony and is seen by millions of TV viewers around the world. The Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association (IOMCGA), which is the organisation responsible for the publicity, fundraising, travel and support for the Island’s team, says that the Champions initiative is a vital part of preparations not just for Glasgow 2014, but also for the 2018 Games in Australia, and the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in 2015, and St Lucia in 2017. The Association is a registered charity and relies upon fundraising events and donations to fund Team Isle of Man’s participation. Juliet Holt, President of IOMCGA, said:
“We are delighted to announce Skanco as our second Team Isle of Man champion. Their support is greatly appreciated and is a significant boost to the Champions initiative which will play an important role in our fundraising strategy for the next few years.”
As Team Isle of Man Champions, businesses can, for example, use the official Champions logo on all marketing material, company vehicles and on their website. Other benefits include two tickets to an event at the Games which Champions can use to raise funds for Team Isle of Man. David Butterworth, Managing Director of Skanco, said:
“Skanco, as a young and energetic company, continues to follow the success of our Island’s sports people and is pleased to support the Island’s athletes in their quest to achieve qualification for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and beyond. We believe our Island has so much home grown talent, both sporting and professionally, and we endeavour to nurture those skills in any way we can - be it through sponsorship in sport or offering apprentice schemes to young people.”
The Champions initiative will continue until May 2014 and the arrival on the Island of The Queen’s Baton Relay which will visit every nation and territory of the Commonwealth, and symbolically unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. The baton will arrive on the Isle of Man on May 16, 2014, from the Guernsey and Jersey legs of the relay. It will leave the Island on May 19 and continue on its journey with the next stop being Northern Ireland - then it’s on to Wales, England, and its final destination of Glasgow. Details of the exact route it will take in the Isle of Man have yet to be finalised. The Isle of Man will be one of 71 nations competing in Glasgow between July 23 and August 3, 2014. According to figures from Global Television and Sunset+Vine - host broadcasters for the Games - more than one billion TV viewers could be watching. Manx competitors won two bronze medals at the last Games in Delhi in 2010 - shooter Tim Kneale in the double trap event and cyclist Mark Christian in the points race on the track. But hopes are high that our team can exceed that tally next year.
For the latest news about Team Isle of Man go to www.cga.im which also allows donations to be made to the team. Any businesses interested in becoming a Team Isle of Man Champion should contact Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association President Juliet Holt by emailing juliet_holt@hotmail.com – or contact Association Vice-President John Knight by emailing JohnKnight@thechildrenscentre.org.im.
Photo - David Butterworth, left, Managing Director of Skanco, and John Knight, Vice-President of the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association, with the Team Isle of Man Champion logo.
