A $1 million grant from Government has made it possible for Bermuda to stage the NatWest Island Games starting next weekend and yesterday Wayne Scott, Minister of Community and Cultural Development, declared Bermuda ready to host an exciting Games.Close to 2,000 athletes and officials will begin arriving in the Island next week for the start of the Games on July 13 and Minister Scott and Island Games committee chairman Jon Beard, urged residents to help make the Games memorable.“This is the first time the Games have ever been held outside of Europe and we are expecting close to 2,000 athletes, officials and visiting spectators to descend on our Island,” said Minister Scott as he addressed the media at the National Sports Centre North Field as work was going on behind him to install a temporary volleyball pit in front of the club pavilion.“As you can see, the National Centre has taken on a new look with the installation of sand for beach volleyball. The Bermuda Government has wholeheartedly thrown its support behind the Games. We have committed $1 million to this event and have worked in partnership with the Organising Committee to help them achieve their goals.”Added the Minister: “My message to all residents is simple ... it’s time to roll out the red carpet and to welcome the athletes who have worked so hard and made great sacrifices to participate in these Games.“Many of the athletes have been raising money for four years for this opportunity to compete. It is a tremendous sacrifice for many and we want our visitors to enjoy the Games and of course our famous Bermudian hospitality. Today I am encouraging everyone to come and support the athletes and cheer on our local competitors.”The Games have demanded tremendous co-ordination of transportation and accommodation and Beard says hosting the Games is a huge undertaking.“We are in a stunningly, exciting time with 16 Bermuda national teams all competing in one week against visitors from overseas, the vast majority of which have never been here and this is a trip of a lifetime for them and we need the community out there,” Beard urged.“We know at times we are going to be disadvantaging some people in the slowdown of traffic for the cyclists and the half marathon, but we need you out there supporting our national teams. The stadium is the only place where there is going to be a charge — there are four sports going on here (track and field, football, volleyball and swimming) — and it will be $5 for adults and free for schoolchildren.”The visiting athletes and officials will be housed in hotels (Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Fairmont Southampton and Grotto Bay) and guest houses while Warwick Camp and schools like CedarBridge, Saltus and Warwick Academy will be used as dorms. “The volunteers are doing a fantastic job, and we can always use more volunteers,” said Beard.“There is a feeling that we want to show off Bermuda and we just want it to be right and put on a Games that everybody can be proud of. This, for me, is what the National Sports Centre should be used for. There will be 300 people competing for Bermuda in one week and that’s pretty incredible.“We’ve got media coming in from all of these Islands, a couple of football magazines in the UK sending people out because they think it is quite a unique event and you’ve got the Prime Minister of Faroe coming in as well as sports ministers and people want to do documentaries of the Island while they’re here. I think it is just a great opportunity to sell ourselves for what we are, great people in a lovely place.”Beard admits the Island Games is a costly undertaking for the Island. “Obviously it is costing money and we’re still knocking on some doors trying to get that, because we don’t have a sponsor for volleyball and we don’t have a sponsor for basketball, the two sports that have been in just about every Games that we’ve done,” said Beard.“Government are the biggest sponsor, and then NatWest Bank from the UK. If Government hadn’t come in at the very beginning and offered this it would have been impossible for us to put the Games on. Our budget was close to $3 million.”Public buses will be used to transport the athletes and officials, an area that has taken much planning.“Darrin Lewis (volunteer) has done a fantastic job as transport director for us and PTB have been so helpful and without them it would have been awful to try to organise,” Beard concedes.