Manx athletes to fly the national flag at Island Games
Ashlea Tracey BBC
News, Island of Man BBC With 153 athletes, the Manx team are set to participate in 11 of the 12 sports Professional athletes representing the Island of Guy are set to fly the nationwide flag at a ceremony marking opening of the 2023 Island Games in Orkney.Travelling to the Scottish islands on two direct flights on Saturday early morning, the majority of the 153-strong Manx group will land simply hours before the games begin.Set to run till 18 July, about 2,000 professional athletes from island nations all over the world will complete in 12 sports including football, athletics, archery and swimming.The 20th staging of
the games, which will be hosted by broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, will see the event formally opened by the Princess Royal. ISLE OF MALE AIRPORT The group set off for Orkney on Saturday morning At the last games, held
in Guernsey in 2023, the Manx group of nearly 200 competitors
earned an overall of 63 medals, including 20 gold and 16 silver.The tally saw the island surface 3rd in the general standings, with the host country topping the table ahead of fellow Channel Island Jersey in second.The games began in 1985 on the Island of Guy to offer the opportunity for young people to complete in a worldwide competition against other islanders. A total of 1,272 medals will be presented at Orkney 2025 Orkney was at first selected to host the 2023 edition of the games, however that was pushed back by two years after the 2021 occasion was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.Participating islands include the Falkland Islands, Greenland, and Caribbean countries Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.Known as”the friendly games”, 12 sporting occasions will be the focus of the week-long occasion, which starts with the opening event and professional athletes’parade in Kirkwall. The flags of the 24 countries will be flown during the opening ceremony The opening will include the Island Games’equivalent of the lighting of the Olympic flame-a conventional water event, where water brought from each island is combined together.The youngest competitor of the games, gymnast Phoebe Christian, will act as the Island of Male’s water carrier on what will be her 13th birthday.Swimmer Laura Kinley will lead the Manx delegation as flag bearer, commemorating her seventh look in the competition.Sunday marks the very first day of competitors, with occasions including the triathlon and the women’s 10,000 m last taking place.The Faroe Islands will be beside host the competition in 2027, with the Isle of Male set to invite competitors
for its third time in 2029.