Sport in the Isle of Man
Encyclopedia
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
motorcycling
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
event. However, the Isle of Man is represented internationally in a number of other sports at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and the Island Games
Island Games
The Island Games are an international multi-sports event organized by the International Island Games Association.- History :The Island Games began in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, as part of the Isle of Man International Year of Sport, and were intended to be a one-off sporting celebration only...
.
International Sport
The Isle of Man hosted the IV Commonwealth Youth GamesCommonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
in September 2011. The Island started the Island Games
International Island Games Association
The International Island Games Association is an organisation the sole purpose of which is to organise the Island Games, a friendly biennial athletic competition between teams from several European islands and other small territories. The IGA liaises with the member island associations and with...
in 1985 and hosted them once again in 2001. The most notable international event held on the Isle of Man are the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
races held annually in June. Rower Sidney Swann
Sidney Swann
Sidney Ernest Swann was an English clergyman and a rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1920 Summer Olympics....
is the only islander to have won an Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal whilst polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
player Frederick Agnew Gill
Frederick Agnew Gill
Frederick Agnew Gill was a British polo player in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was polo manager at the Ranelagh Club in London.-Biography:...
won a bronze medal in 1900. In the Olympic Games Manx athletes compete in the UK team.
Cricket
The Isle of Man Cricket AssociationIsle of Man Cricket Association
The Isle of Man Cricket Association is the official ICC recognised organisation chosen to represent Isle of Man in terms of cricket matters....
broke their affiliation with the Lancashire Cricket Board in 2004 to become affiliate members of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
and compete as a national team in their own right. The Isle of Man cricket team
Isle of Man cricket team
The Isle of Man cricket team is the team that represents the Crown dependency of the Isle of Man in international cricket matches. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2004. -International Competition:...
competed in their first official ICC competitions in 2005.
Cycling
The Manx TrophyManx Trophy
The Manx Trophy or Isle of Man International Road Race is a bicycle road race run annually on the Isle of Man. In the 1960s the race attracted the world's top professional cyclists including Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx....
cycling event is held annually. The Isle of Man boasts a very strong showing in the world of cycling with several high profile names and many talented up and coming young riders.
Manxman Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
is the reigning 2008 UCI Track Cycling
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
World Champion for the Madison
Madison (cycling)
The madison is a team event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and in Italian and Spanish as Americana.-History:...
having won the event on in Manchester along with race partner Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE is a British professional track and road bicycle racer, currently riding for Team Sky. Wiggins' career began on the track, where he specialised in the pursuit and madison disciplines....
. He previously won the Madison at the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
World Championships in 2005. In 2006 he won a Gold medal in the Scratch race
Scratch Race (cycling)
A scratch race is a cycling race in which all contestants start from scratch . Finishing order is based on the final order across the line at the completion of the race; there are no intermediate points or sprints....
on the track at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. After failing to win a medal in the Madison
Madison (cycling)
The madison is a team event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and in Italian and Spanish as Americana.-History:...
at the 2008 Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
Cavendish switched exclusively to road racing. He currently rides for Team Columbia, his sprinting abilities have made him as one of the most promising talents in British cycling, with twenty stage wins to date in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
between 2008 and 2011, winning the 2011
2011 Tour de France
-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
green jersey
Green jersey
The green jersey is a term used in road bicycle racing and Grand Tour stage races in particular. The green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the leader in a subsidiary competition....
. In 2011
2011 UCI Road World Championships
The 2011 UCI Road World Championships took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, over 19–25 September 2011. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women, men under 23, and for the first time since 2004 the junior men and junior women competed at the same event as the elite riders. It...
Cavendish, with the support of the British team, won the World Championship Road Race.
Rugby union
There are a number of rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
clubs within the island. The premier domestic prize is the Dorchester Maritime Manx Cup with the secondary domestic competition being the Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield.
The current holders of the Manx Cup are Douglas Rugby Club
Douglas R.U.F.C.
Douglas Rugby Club . It is traditionally the leading Isle of Man rugby union team. The team are the holders of the 2008-09 Manx Cup....
and the Shield being held by Ramsey Rugby Club
Ramsey R.U.F.C.
Ramsey Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Ramsey, Isle of Man. They compete in South Lancashire/Cheshire Division 3.-Club history:Ramsey RUFC was formed in the late 1970s by a group of old boys from the local comprehensive school, Ramsey Grammar School.The club was admitted to the Rugby...
. The other island clubs are: Castletown Rugby Club
Castletown R.U.F.C.
Castletown R.U.F.C. is a Rugby union football club in Castletown, Isle of Man.- History :The club traces its roots back to the late 1960s, when a rugby club, Ronaldsway Rugby Club, was formed by employees of the Ronaldsway Aircraft Company....
, Southern Nomads Rugby Club
Southern Nomads R.U.F.C.
Southern Nomads R.U.F.C. is a Rugby Football club in Port Erin, Isle of Man.The Southern Nomads RUFC are an amateur rugby union team formed in 1982 who play on the Isle of Man and have played competitively in the Manx Shield and Manx Cup competitions every year since then...
and Vagabonds Rugby Club
Vagabonds R.U.F.C.
-See also:*Rugby union in the Isle of Man* Isle of Man Sport* Castletown Rugby Club* Douglas Rugby Club* Ramsey Rugby Club* Southern Nomads Rugby Club-External links:*...
.
Douglas Rugby Club
Douglas R.U.F.C.
Douglas Rugby Club . It is traditionally the leading Isle of Man rugby union team. The team are the holders of the 2008-09 Manx Cup....
, Vagabonds Rugby Club
Vagabonds R.U.F.C.
-See also:*Rugby union in the Isle of Man* Isle of Man Sport* Castletown Rugby Club* Douglas Rugby Club* Ramsey Rugby Club* Southern Nomads Rugby Club-External links:*...
and Ramsey Rugby Club
Ramsey R.U.F.C.
Ramsey Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Ramsey, Isle of Man. They compete in South Lancashire/Cheshire Division 3.-Club history:Ramsey RUFC was formed in the late 1970s by a group of old boys from the local comprehensive school, Ramsey Grammar School.The club was admitted to the Rugby...
, participate in the English leagues.
Motorcycle racing
The Isle of Man is famous for its TT motorbike racing eventIsle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
, which began in 1904 as a motorcar race. TT stands for Tourist Trophy. From 1905, the TT was held as a closed roads motorcycle racing event and the original course was extended in the 1920s to use the current Snaefell Mountain Course
Snaefell mountain course
Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...
. This is now a series of annual motorcycle road races
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
over 60.7 km (37.7 mi) held from late May to early June.
The 4.25-mile (6.84km) Billown circuit near Castletown has been the scene of further events such as the Southern 100
Southern 100
The Southern 100 is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man in July of each year. The event was first held in 1955, when there were three races for different classes of motorcycles; the current calendar includes twelve races for various classes...
in May, June and July since 1955.
Further racing takes place on the TT course each August-September in the form of the Manx Grand Prix
Manx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course every year for a two-week period usually spanning the end of August and early September. The 'MGP' or 'Manx' is considered to be the amateur riders' alternative to the Isle of Man TT Races held in May and June...
. The idea of motor cycle racing for amateurs and private entrants on the famous TT course gave rise to the birth of the MGP back in 1921.
Linked to all this motor cycle racing are the Supporters Clubs, Riders Assns and the TT Marshals Association and the MGP Marshals Association as, without marshals, no racing would be possible.
Rallying
The Isle of Man hosts a number of rallyingRallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
events including the Rally Isle of Man
Rally Isle of Man
Rally Isle of Man is a rally competition held in the Isle of Man. It was first held in 1963, and later became a well-known event in the British Open Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship...
(formerly the Manx International Rally or Manx Trophy Rally) a round of the British Open Rally Championship. Also the Manx Rally (formerly the Manx National Rally) a round of the British National Rally Championship.
Association Football
Association footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is also popular, with the Isle of Man Football Association
Isle of Man Football Association
The Isle of Man Football Association is the governing body of football on the Isle of Man. The IoMFA is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA, but is a member of the English Football Association and has the status of a County Football Association, despite the Isle of Man being a Crown dependency, a...
running a league
Isle of Man Football League
The Isle of Man Football League, also known as Canada Life Premier League due to sponsorship purposes, is a football league for clubs on the Isle of Man run by the Isle of Man Football Association. The league does not form part of the English football league system. All clubs on the island are...
of 27 clubs in two divisions, as well as a football combination
Isle of Man Football Combination
The Isle of Man Football Combination is a league of football teams from the Isle of Man. Run by the Isle of Man Football Association, it is a wholly amateur league, it consists of the reserve teams of the clubs in membership of the Isle of Man Football League....
for the reserve teams of the league clubs. There is also a national football team
Isle of Man national football team
The Isle of Man national football team is the national football team of the Isle of Man and is controlled by the Isle of Man Football Association. The team plays in a yellow and red home kit and an all navy blue away kit....
, although it does not participate in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
or FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
tournaments.
Gymnastics
The Isle of Man hosts very successful Men's and Women's gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
teams, which consist of gymnasts solely from Manx Gymnastics. Recent accomplishments include 2001, 2003 and 2005 Island Games
Island Games
The Island Games are an international multi-sports event organized by the International Island Games Association.- History :The Island Games began in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, as part of the Isle of Man International Year of Sport, and were intended to be a one-off sporting celebration only...
, the latest of which the gymnastics team came away with 29 medals, including 15 golds out of the total of 34 that the Isle of Man team http://www.islandgames.net/content/members/iom.html won. Manx Gymnastics sent a number of gymnasts to the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games
Commonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and plan to send more to the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
.
Hockey
There are many Manx hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
teams, with mixed, men's and ladies' leagues. The mixed league runs from September to December with the men's and ladies' leagues running from January to April. Each club has a nominated home pitch which is one of the National Sports Centres regional astro turf pitches. Bacchas, Vikings & Harlequins Hockey Clubs all play at the NSC in Douglas, Valkyrs Hockey Club play at the QEII High School
Queen Elizabeth II high school
Queen Elizabeth II High School is a co-educational comprehensive school in Peel Isle of Man. It is commonly referred to as simply QE2 and teaches the years 7-11 as well as a sixth form for years 12-13....
in Peel, Castletown & Saracens Hockey Clubs play at Castle Rushen High School
Castle Rushen High School
Castle Rushen High School is a co-educational secondary state school located in Castletown on the Isle of Man for pupils in the South of the Island.-Isle of Man School System:Main article: Education in the Isle of Man...
and Ramsey Hockey Club play at Ramsey Grammar School
Ramsey Grammar School
Ramsey Grammar School is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school located in Ramsey, on the Isle of Man.A grammar school has existed in Ramsey since 1681. It moved to Lezayre Road in 1933 and was housed in a building that now forms the east building of the present school...
.
The Manx Hockey Association (MHA) maintains live records of all league fixtures, results and scorers, including the goal that Iain Wrigley scored against Bacchas B on Sat 10 October 2009.
The Isle of Man is also home to the annual Whit Hockey Festival. Held over the last weekend in May, the tournament welcomes many sides from around the UK to play mixed, men's and ladies hockey at all levels of ability. Acting on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, the entire event is covered by professional photographer, John Coxon.
Shooting
Target Shooting has a long and successful tradition, with 2008 seeing the Centenary of the Isle of Man Rifle Association. It is conducted to high standards in the Island with one of the highlights being the annual Easter Open Shooting Festival, which is a GBR selection event in 50 Metre Rifle. Ranges and clubs exist for rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines and the various elements come together under the umbrella organisation, the Isle of Man Target Shooting Federation. Shooting has won more medals for the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games than any other sport.Other sports
BasketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
is also played in the Isle of Man.
Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Monarch Assurance International Chess tournament is held in Port Erin every September-October.
Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
The board game visits the island biennially.
Athletics
Athletics is also well supported on the Isle of Man. One of the highlights of the race calendar is the Easter Athletics Festival, a great social and athletic weekend, now in its 46th year.Manx Harriers is the main athletics club on the Island, and it is successful in the UK when teams of athletes go to compete.
(2008).
Cammag
The sport of cammagCammag
Cammag is a team sport originating on the Isle of Man. It is closely related to the Scottish game of shinty and is similar to the Irish hurling...
originated on the Isle of Man. It is similar to the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
game of shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
, and Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
. Once the most popular sport on the island, it ceased to be played by the start of the 20th century. It has more recently been revived with an annual match at St John's.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a martial art sport that is growing in popularity. The Isle of Man Taekwondo Association link was admitted as an associate member of the World Taekwondo FederationWorld Taekwondo Federation
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...
in 2006 and the Isle of Man can compete as a country in WTF competitions.
External links
- Isle of Man Basketball Association Website of the Isle of Man Basketball Association
- IOMGuide.com - TT aerial view
- IOMTT.com - racing and message board discussions
- Manx Hockey Association.
- Isle of Man Gymnastics Association Website