³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Island Games archery champion Lucy O'Sullivan says she will not defend her gold medals due to the cost of attending the 2025 edition in Orkney.

O'Sullivan won a clean sweep of five gold medals at Guernsey 2023, but the Great Britain international says she cannot afford to go to Orkney.

The cost is around £2,000 per athlete and O'Sullivan has not paid her deposit to secure her place.

"Since Covid, prices have gone up a lot," she told ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Jersey.

"Whereas I would fly and hire a car, which was always the cheapest option to get to a competition in the UK, that's doubled.

"If I want to compete for Great Britain again you need to do six to 10 shoots to get the qualification scores.

"Unless you're finding sponsors to help you with that I can't be part of Team GB again, so the money that I need to go to the UK shoots is money that I would have to spend going to an Island Games - so one Island Games versus maybe two or three shoots in the UK is difficult.

"We're sportspeople from Jersey, it's always a balance and unless we get private sponsors for different events it's always going to be hard."

She says it is with a heavy heart that she has decided to opt out of the next Island Games as it is an event that she feels benefits her.

The cost next summer has put some Channel Island athletes off, with travel and accommodation options limited in one of the smallest islands ever to host the event.

"I love an Island Games," she said.

"It's been so great to be part of a multi-sport event because archery isn't in the Commonwealth Games that often, so the fact that we get to go to the Island Games is incredible.

"It's so nice to see other sports, see how other athletes train and what mental stuff they do and what nutrition they use.

"So for me an Island Games is such a great opportunity to connect with other athletes so that I can make myself better."