Indian Ocean Island Games
Encyclopedia
The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sport event
held every four years among athletes from Indian Ocean
islands. The Games was adopted by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) in 1976 and currently gather the islands of Mauritius
, Seychelles
, Comoros
, Madagascar
, Mayotte
, Réunion
and the Maldives
. The number of athletes who participate has never stopped growing. It went from 1000 athletes in 1979 to over 1500 participants in 2003 and 2007
.
was organized between Madagascar
, Mauritius
and Réunion
. In Madagascar 1963, a football match between Mauritius vs Madagascar was abandoned at 1-1 in 54'. Then Madagascar declared winners of tournament. After this match Mauritius refused to play and the tournament was not held anymore.
In 1974 the Regional Olympic Committee of Réunion
decide to organise a multi-sport competition in the Indian Ocean
and it was finally adopted by the IOC in 1976. The competition was initially billed as the Indian Ocean Games. However, its name was changed to the Indian Ocean Island Games before the first games, without the participation of Sri Lanka
, initially in the bill.
The objectives of the games is to contribute to regional cooperation through the development of sport in the region, build friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the islands of the Indian Ocean
, in the spirit of Olympism. Allow athletes to have every four years, a competition whose interest and level are commensurate with the real sport of the region,
create a regional event whose repercussions will ensure the infrastructure development of countries in the area that lags far behind.
Originally, the Games were to take place every four years. However, this frequency has never been observed for various reasons.
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
held every four years among athletes from Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
islands. The Games was adopted by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) in 1976 and currently gather the islands of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
, Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
and the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
. The number of athletes who participate has never stopped growing. It went from 1000 athletes in 1979 to over 1500 participants in 2003 and 2007
2007 Indian Ocean Island Games
The 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games commonly known as Les septieme Jeux des iles de L'Ocean Indien in french was the 7th edition of the competition, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The last edition was held in 2003 in Mauritius. The next edition took place in Seychelles in 2011...
.
Origins
From 1947 until 1963 a precursor called Indian Ocean Games TriangulaireIndian Ocean Games Triangulaire
The Indian Ocean Games Triangulaire was a triangulaire, or tournament between three teams, between Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar. It was the predecessor to the Indian Ocean Island Games. The triangulaire was held every year from 1947 until 1958, and then once more in 1963...
was organized between Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
. In Madagascar 1963, a football match between Mauritius vs Madagascar was abandoned at 1-1 in 54'. Then Madagascar declared winners of tournament. After this match Mauritius refused to play and the tournament was not held anymore.
In 1974 the Regional Olympic Committee of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
decide to organise a multi-sport competition in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and it was finally adopted by the IOC in 1976. The competition was initially billed as the Indian Ocean Games. However, its name was changed to the Indian Ocean Island Games before the first games, without the participation of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, initially in the bill.
The objectives of the games is to contribute to regional cooperation through the development of sport in the region, build friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the islands of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, in the spirit of Olympism. Allow athletes to have every four years, a competition whose interest and level are commensurate with the real sport of the region,
create a regional event whose repercussions will ensure the infrastructure development of countries in the area that lags far behind.
IOIG Editions
Five countries participated in the creation of the Games. They are Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Reunion. They drafted the Charter of the Games.Originally, the Games were to take place every four years. However, this frequency has never been observed for various reasons.
- 2003 –
- 20072007 Indian Ocean Island GamesThe 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games commonly known as Les septieme Jeux des iles de L'Ocean Indien in french was the 7th edition of the competition, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The last edition was held in 2003 in Mauritius. The next edition took place in Seychelles in 2011...
– - 20112011 Indian Ocean Island GamesThe 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games are the 8th edition of the competition, due to be held in Victoria, Seychelles. The last edition was held in 2007 in Madagascar.The Games' mascot is a Kato Nwar, the national bird of the Seychelles...
– - 2015 –
Réunion
Participating Countries
| 1979 |
 1985 |
 1990 |
 1993 |
1998 |
2003 |
2007 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games The 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games commonly known as Les septieme Jeux des iles de L'Ocean Indien in french was the 7th edition of the competition, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The last edition was held in 2003 in Mauritius. The next edition took place in Seychelles in 2011... |
2011 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games The 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games are the 8th edition of the competition, due to be held in Victoria, Seychelles. The last edition was held in 2007 in Madagascar.The Games' mascot is a Kato Nwar, the national bird of the Seychelles... |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comoros Comoros The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar... |
8 | ||||||||
| Madagascar Madagascar The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa... |
✗ | 7 | |||||||
| Maldives Maldives The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and... |
8 | ||||||||
| Mauritius Mauritius Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar... |
8 | ||||||||
| Mayotte Mayotte Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and... |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | 3 | |||
| Réunion Réunion Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France... |
8 | ||||||||
| Seychelles Seychelles Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar.... |
8 |
- In 2003, MayotteMayotteMayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
participated together with RéunionRéunionRéunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
as France Indian Ocean.
Different competitions
- PétanquePétanquePétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...