New territory? Åland in the Island Games

This article examines Åland’s participation in the Island Games since 1985. Initially, this was facilitated by a postmaster who was also a major figure in the Finnish autonomous region’s volleyball scene. A fact-finding mission to the Faroe Islands regarding their own devolved postal service doubled as an opportunity to arrange a volleyball competition, in turn leading to an invite to the inaugural Games in the Isle of Man. This proved controversial for the 1987 iteration in Guernsey, where government officials, including those who sat on the board of Åland’s state gambling monopoly, objected to the amount of funding requested by sport officials because of (1) alleged sacrificing of grassroots monies for elite competition, (2) an assumption that Finnish competition was superior, and (3) an implication of nationalism being advanced. In the coming months and years, leaders in Åland’s Island Games movement justified participation and sponsorship on the basis of gaining access to diverse competition, as well as performing ‘islandness’ as a political and diplomatic identity. Åland would host the competition in 1991 and 2009; they did so through changing circumstances. Its unique issues are worth understanding within an international sport movement where the territory had conspicuous power and recognition.