At the end of the month a whopping 174 talented sportsmen and women from the Isle of Wight will be heading to Jersey for the 16th NatWest Island Games.
The Isle of Wight team will be competing in 12 of the possible 14 sports.
Yesterday they received some bittersweet news about athletics team member, Nick Percy from Bonchurch.
As previously reported here, Nick has been training in the US on scholarship with Nebraska University.
Big news for Nick
An announcement was made yesterday by the Isle of Wight Island Games Association. It read,
“Slightly mixed emotions on news of a withdrawal from our Athletics Squad. Unfortunately Nick Percy will not be making the trip to Jersey this month to represent #TeamIOW. But, the reason for his withdrawal is absolutely brilliant.
“Nick, who is in his first year of an athletics scholarship with Nebraska University, has qualified to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national finals which take place at the same time as the games.
“Whilst the Isle of Wight will miss him greatly at the Games where he was a strong prospect for Discus Gold, the prestige of throwing in the national finals during his first year in the US is huge and the terms of his scholarship mean that it must take precedence over the NatWest Island Games.
“Nick, we wish you every success in the NCAA finals and hope to see you back on the Island later this summer and hopefully you will be able to compete for us in Gotland 2017 (College commitments allowing!)”
Best of luck to all those representing the Isle of Wight at the Island Games in Jersey. We’re sure you’ll be bringing home lots of fantastic medals.
