Many of the island’s future sportsmen and women, alongside parents and coaches, got together for the latest Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy.

The scheme, which was launched in 2015 to help young sportspeople develop their skills and prepare for elite sport, has seen a four-part introductory ’boot camp’ and eight themed workshops throughout the year.

The focus of the session was rest and recovery and provided an insight into what the 13- to 17-year-olds can do to manage stress and aid recovery during the day.

Isle of Man Sport Aid Sports performance coordinator Chris Quine said: ’With the generous support of our sponsors we have been able to offer the athletes a really extensive programme of workshops this year.

’Although often neglected, rest and recovery is possibly the most important aspect of a training programme for athletes. It isn’t just what happens in your hour of training each day that is important but what you do in the other 23 hours of the day as well.

’Therefore, we challenged the athletes - and their parents and coaches - to consider how stress levels can also have a negative impact on their general well-being and thus their sport as well.

’An effective rest and recovery programme is not just about having good sleep hygiene. At the session we suggested ways in which the young athletes can aid their recovery while awake, through managing stress levels and better planning of hard and easy training days. We also touched upon the potential harmful impact of new technology, and what can be done to lessen the risk of this now and in the future.’

The event was sponsored by e-gaming company Newfield and corporate services firm SMP Partners.