THOSE who didn't go, don't know what they missed.

Those who did, know exactly, and will be looking forward to the Island Games when they come around again in two years time.

They are not the Olympics, the Pan-Am or Commonwealth Games. They're not vaguely comparable, nor are they supposed to be.

But there's little doubt this biennial sporting carnival should command far more respect from some of Bermuda's sports governing bodies than is currently the case.

'Developmental' was a word thrown out liberally during the Games. And for good reason.

But as sailor Malcolm Smith, who's seen his fair share of international competition over the years, pointed out, this is a festival that can serve as both a stepping stone for not only the young athletes embarking on a sporting career, but all of those who want to be tested outside of Bermuda, no matter what their age.

While we often get wrapped up in North American and Caribbean competitions, and because geographically that makes good sense, there's another world out there in which athletes can build confidence, make new contacts and, more importantly, can see what is being achieved by other islands with populations similar to Bermuda.

Competing in nine of the 14 sports on offer, Bermuda could finish just seventh on the final medal table (32), the majority of those medals arriving courtesy of a highly talented gymnastics team.

Faroe Islands, population 48,000, who also competed in nine sports, topped that table, coming away with 81 medals . . . and, the BFA might want to take note, that was without their football team who were considered far too strong.

Minnows of the European Championships, maybe, but the Faroes have embarrassed some of FIFA's big guns. Just ask the Tartan Army.

They held Scotland to a draw as well as Northern Ireland and scored a famous 1-0 victory over Austria.

There were other islands such as Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Gotland who showed that small communities can produce incredibly talented athletes.

Bermuda can consider itself in that same bracket. But it's a shame that some administrators are still of the belief that the Island Games are beneath them.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Competition is fierce, and in most cases, the standards exceptionally high - the men's half-marathon was won in 1:06, far faster than times posted by anyone who has ever won the May 24 Derby.

But there was also another lesson to be learned from the visit to Aland.

The Baltic Sea archipelago has a population of just 27,000.

Within that community there are no less that 61 sporting clubs and facilities, including an excellent aquatic centre, an enormous indoor stadium that can house basketball, volleyball and badminton courts as well as five-a-side football pitch, and a track and field stadium and several gymnasiums.

And they don't cost the public a cent, every one of them is funded by gaming.

Some might think that's not appropriate in Bermuda, particularly the anti-casino campaigners, but as lack of funding seems to be the major complaint voiced by our top athletes theses days – cricket and football excluded – there's certainly evidence in Aland it's a workable arrangement.

The small casinos are an added attraction for tourists, the abundance of sports clubs helps keep kids off the street, and crime is negligible.

As with the Games themselves, it's a win-win situation.

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THE monster marlin hanging from its tail alongside its conqueror, pictured in the Gazette this week, was no doubt a great source of pride for those who raised it from the deep.

But for many others it was a sickening sight.

Big game fishing, like any other form of hunting, has always been the subject of heated debate.

While one side of the world goes to enormous lengths to protect our fast diminishing wildlife, the other side is intent on obliterating any species which they see as a prize trophy.

The catch and release programme, anglers will argue, has done an awful lot to protect the giant marlin – but it's designed only to ensure there are more so-called 'granders' (fish over 1,000 pounds) waiting to be hauled aboard.

Whales and dolphins, by and large, are protected. Why not the Big Blue, one of the most magnificent creatures to inhabit our waters?

ADRIAN ROBSON