A reception was held at Government House last week to celebrate His Majesty The King's Baton Relay ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer welcomed athletes past and present to mark the occasion, highlighting the Isle of Man's involvement in the relay and the upcoming Games.

Across the week, the Isle of Man's Baton visited several events and places across the island, including making an appearance at Centre 21 in Douglas, where representatives from a number of local organisations had the opportunity to view it and have photographs taken alongside it.

Groups attending included the Isle of Man Down Syndrome Society, Manx Mencap, the Manx Gateway Club and other community organisations.

This year, each nation and territory of the Commonwealth was given the opportunity to design its own baton, with the Isle of Man's baton being designed by island artist and archer Lesley Sleight following a competition which attracted a number of submissions.

The entries were assessed by a judging panel that included the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer. Ms Sleight's design, which incorporates Manx landscapes, culture and heritage, was selected as the one that best represented the island.

The King's Baton Relay is one of the traditional build-up events to the Commonwealth Games, with batons travelling throughout the Commonwealth before arriving at the host city for the opening ceremony.

The island is sending a squad of 27 to Scotland next month for the Games which get under way on July 23. This will be the Isle of Man's 23rd appearance at the event, which is set to feature 10 sports and around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories.

A spokesperson from Government House commented: ‘We wish our island team’s the best of luck in this years Games as they compete over a number of disciplines.’