It is so nice to write an Editorial congratulating our sports men and women competing at the Island Games in Gibraltar.

At the time of writing this, on the fifth day of the competition, Cayman has thirteen medals that include FIVE gold.

Our squash team have done exceedingly well as they have finished first in men’s doubles women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The day before they obtained individual golds.

We have also done well in swimming. Jordan Crooks took gold in the 100m freestyle, and the women weren’t to be left out, with Jillian Crooks, Alison Jackson, Avery Lambert, Kyra Rabess collecting gold in the women’s 4x100m freestyle team.

I mustn’t forget the silver and bronze medals won in athletics. Carl Morgan won silver and Louis Gordon bronze, in the long jump.

Cayman is also on track to get even more medals. Our men’s basketball team have been impressive. They defeated Gotland 114-42! They are in the semifinals today.

What we mustn’t forget, however, sport is not just about winning medals.Isn’t the actual taking part and the shared expereinces even more important?

Where politics is all about beating up on your opponents, especially in an election, sport is about meeting and cementing relationships with others.

Artur Spyrou, writing in The national, enlarges on it when he says, “Sport helps to build leadership and teamwork as well as developing respect, resilience and determination, particularly in children. Sport also brings economic benefits and international recognition.

“Sports diplomacy not only builds friendships but also national pride. Think of the enduring image of Nelson Mandela – his country’s first president of the post-apartheid era – crowning as world champions a South African rugby side comprising of many different ethnic backgrounds. This is because sport is not just about winning or losing. It is about a shared experience, a shared contest, and it represents values that bring out the best in us as people – ultimately we are in competition with ourselves first and foremost.

“Sport offers a way to share experiences and cross cultures but is also lets cultures define themselves.”

However, winning is a HUGE bonus. Fighting to win draws on cooperation, concentration, coordination, and creativity—all goals worth striving for in their own right.

Sport also focuses on being part of a team, focus, discipline, loyalty, competitiveness, and identity.

As for us watching. It is very entertaining and very often thrilling.

Even if we hadn’t won a single medal I would be just as proud of all our athletes who went to The Island Games representing us here in the Cayman Islands. Medals galore just adds the icing. And I love sweet things.