Team Isle of Man will make the 350-mile trip to Orkney over the next couple of days ahead of the opening of the 20th Island Games on Saturday evening.

The 179-strong party includes 153 competitors that will take part in 11 of the 12 sports on offer at the latest edition of the biennial event.

After finishing third in the medal table when the Games were last held in Guernsey two years ago, the Manx will be aiming to vie with traditional rivals Jersey and Guernsey for top spot again next week.

Since the Games were first held in the Isle of Man 40 years ago, the Manx have won 530 gold medals, 495 silvers and 460 bronzes to rank third behind the aforementioned Channel Islanders in the overall medal table.

The two chartered flights departing Ronaldsway for Kirkwall on Friday and Saturday will be carrying the bulk of the Manx contingent to the group of 70 islands located roughly 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland.

The flights, and the return journeys next Saturday, are part of 32 extra ones Loganair will operate to and from Orkney during Games week as it helps carry athletes from 23 other island nations to the North Sea archipelago.

Long-time Isle of Man team manager Jill Gillings said earlier this week: ‘Preparation for the Games is always interesting as each one is different.

‘Orkney is the smallest island to host and has its individual challenges but it will all come together once we get there.

‘All the sports are busy with their own preparation and excitement is growing. We are all looking forward to exciting sporting achievements.’