Young sports stars are gearing up for this year’s Manx Youth Games.

It’s an initiative of Manx Sport and Recreation, a government agency and it will be the 18th time the games have been held.

Training sessions will begin next week and the games themselves will be held on May 18.

’MSR has developed the Manx Youth Games to be a supportive, fun and non-competitive environment for children to explore and get involved in a variety of different sports that may not always be available as part of the school curriculum,’ Mr Cregeen said.

’The success of the games can be seen by the number of participants who take part and how long the event has been running for. The MSR team annually review the games to ensure that children are getting the most out of their activities, while ensuring that they are enjoying themselves in the process.

’I’d like to thank HSBC for their support of the Manx Youth Games again this year, enabling MSR to carry out and deliver a successful event for the children.’

Since the first games in 2002, more than 1,000 participants take part annually in 13 sports.

The launch event also saw presentations from previous Manx Youth Games competitors and included a number of presentations on the impact that the games has had on the island’s community.

Jaime Amoedo, of HSBC Isle of Man, said: ’The Isle of Man has a strong legacy of fantastic sports people, many of whom will have also taken part in the Manx Youth Games.

’Inspiring young people to get involved in sports is hugely important to the island’s community and HSBC, and we are proud to once again sponsor this great sporting event for the 18th consecutive year.’

MSR will be visiting schools around the island this month to inform children aged six to 15 of the Manx Youth Games and how to get involved.