In 2009 the 11,300 sq m Ecker�hallen will host basketball

The chairman of the Guernsey Island Games Association says next year's games in Aland are likely to be the most expensive ever.

Athletes have usually had to pay their costs for travel and accommodation to games and Denise Fawcett says next year's games will cost more than ever.

"I believe this one will be by far the most expensive games we've had," she told BBC Guernsey.

"It's Scandinavia and it's quite noticeably more expensive."

She says the costs of the basic things teams need in order to function are all noticeably more pricey in the Finnish island.

"It is all food and petrol and hire cars. The sort of things which go with a games which is going to cost us a lot of money," she said.

The Isle of Man's government had to provide its team with an extra �30,000 at the last minute to fund the team's flight to the games in Rhodes last year after its previous charter plane could not fly.

And in 2005 many competitors were faced with steep bills after cruise ships were brought in to house athletes in Shetland.