Flag Bearer and Water Carrier named

Team Guernsey's flag bearer and water carrier have been chosen for the Island Games in Orkney.

Triathlete Amy Critchlow will carry the Guernsey flag as she leads out the team at the Opening Ceremony at Kirkwall's Bignold Park on 12 July 2025.

Orkney will be Amy's fifth games, having won team medals at each of them so far, and in Guernsey 2023 an individual bronze to go alongside the team gold.

Amy said: "It was a really lovely surprise to be selected and such a massive honour to represent Team Guernsey in this way."

The Island Games opening ceremony includes a symbolic "water ceremony" where athletes from each competing island pour water from their respective islands into a central fountain. It symbolises unity and solidarity. 

This year, doing that for Guernsey falls to the youngest member of the Badminton team, 14-year-old Medha Vallapureddy.

Having been crowned Senior Island Women's Champion in Guernsey in December 2024, Medha goes to the Games as the highest ranked player in the women's singles.

Medha said: "It's an incredible honour to represent Guernsey off-island and I think this is such an amazing opportunity for me." 

The water was collected from Bordeaux Harbour and will be transported to Orkney before Medha pours it from a traditional copper can into Orkney's fountain.

Amy and Medha were also showing off the Team Guernsey kit for Orkney 2025 for the first time, which has been sponsored by local company, Healthspan.

Head of Brand Marketing at Healthspan, Sophia Catton said it was good to see it all coming together.

"There's been a lot of planning in the works over the last few months, from the very first meetings, to working with the team on the kit, to making sure all the teams get the right sports nutrition, to coming here tonight.

It's really exciting to see it all start to kick off."

The team is now counting down to departure day.

GIGA Games Director Karen "Bucky" Archenoul said: "We're looking forward to an exciting games. In recent weeks I've been talking to all our Orkney accommodation providers who've been very helpful and welcoming and are getting their Guernsey flags ready to give us a great Orcadian welcome."

The Orkney Island Games will be officially opened by Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, ahead of 6 days of competition.