IT may be colloquially known as the Small Island Games but there is nothing tiny about the sporting extravaganza which kicks off in Rhodes tomorrow, writes Matthew Taylor.The event on the picturesque Greek resort is the biggest Island Games ever staged and appropriately Bermuda is sending its largest ever squad with more than 200 athletes, coaches and trainers in the hunt for medal glory.

But the dumping of gymnastics from the roster of sports has hurt Bermuda’s chances of improving on the fourth place which it got on the last two occasions.

Bermuda Island Games Association Secretary General Jon Gazzard said: “Of the 48-49 medals we got in the last Games 24 of them were from gymnastics.

“A lot of other sports are going to have to pull up their socks and hopefully with the addition of athletics we should be able to get fourth place overall again.”

A promising athletics squad boasts sprinters Xavier James who competed in the 2005 Olympics in Greece, Melissa Clarke and distance runners Jay Donawa, May 24 Half-Marathon champ Dawn Richardson and Terrance Armstrong who hold the Bermuda national records for the 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres.

Gazzard believes the men’s basketball team and volleyball team have realistic hopes of gold while the women’s football team, which took bronze last time, could also do even better this time around.

The men’s Under-23 football team has been training up to six times a week under the exacting regime of national coach Kenny Thompson so should be well capable of pulling something off — or at least getting out of their group which consists of Aland and Ynys Mon.

The men’s beach volleyball and the cycling teams also look strong said Gazzard while Geri Mewett is the defending road race cycling champion.Dee McMullen is the defending women’s road race cycling champ but unfortunately Lynn Patchett who took gold in both the town centre criterium and time trial won’t be going because of fitness fears.

“Sailing looks to have a strong team — Stevie Dickinson and John Gardener,” said Gazzard adding that he is also tipping the youngsters’ sailing team of Campbell Duffy’s and Rockal Evans.

He added: “The sheer size of these Games is the interesting aspect.”

Normally Island Games feature 2,500-3,000 athletes but this time around there will be up to 5,000 athletes and coaches.

Bigger squads provide bigger headaches for Gazzard who has been putting in 10-15 hour days organising the event.

It’s provided an enormous logistical headache as people drop out and replacements have to be found with Island Games organisers needing persuading to bend their deadlines to let new people in. Airlines then have to be badgered to change ticket names, said Gazzard who added that moving large numbers of people from one small island to another is no easy matter with limited flight times and routes to choose from.

It’s meant getting up early to contact European-based organisers in different time zones.

And since February Gazzard has been doing it all for free after sponsors pulled out.

“It’s been very time consuming.

“I saw the Island Games as an opportunity to help a lot of the associations and it was very successful but unfortunately we lost our bid for 2011 Games.

“So that may be when the sponsors felt they needed to pull back and focus some of their funds elsewhere. But we are looking to get the 2013 Games here to Bermuda and there is more than 50/50 chance of doing that.”