The games promote friendship between member islands

More than 2,500 people from around the world will take part in 15 different sporting events including archery, swimming, sailing and volleyball.

Other islands represented include the Falklands, Rhodes, Jersey and Bermuda.

During the games, Anglesey, or Ynys M�n in Welsh, will find out if it will host the event in 2009 - its rival for the honour is the Finnish island of �land.

Anglesey has taken part in the games since they began in 1985, but has never hosted them.

Islands Games Association �land, Baltic Sea Alderney, Channel Islands Bermuda, North Atlantic Ocean Cayman Islands, Western Caribbean Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean Faroe Islands, North Atlantic Ocean Froya, off Norway Gibraltar, Mediterranean Sea Gotland, Baltic Sea Greenland, North Atlantic Ocean Guernsey, Channel Islands Hitra, near Norway Isle of Man, Irish Sea Isle of Wight, off south England Jersey, Channel Islands Orkney, off Scotland Prince Edward Island, off mainland Canada Rhodes, Mediterranean Sea Saaremaa, Baltic Sea Sark, Channel Islands Shetland Islands, off Scotland St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean Western Isles, North Atlantic Ocean Ynys M�n, off north Wales

Ieuan Wyn Jones, AM for Anglesey, has sent a telegram of support to the island's representatives at the games.

"I know that our team in the Shetlands is working very hard to secure the biennial Island Games for Anglesey in 2009," he said.

"Sending a telegram of support in this way is intended to assure them that we are behind them all the way.

"Holding the games in Ynys M�n would be a prestigious boost for the island with positive spin-offs for tourism and the economy generally."

The games, held every two years, promote friendship between the member islands. In 2003, they were held in Guernsey and will take place in Rhodes in 2007.

The decision on the location of the 2009 games will be made on Tuesday.