Flying Foxes, Puddleduck Waddlers and a host of other equally exotically named teams rang (Olympic) rings around each other at Onchan stadium to raise money for Junior Achievement.

Billed as the Alternative Olympics the event saw 14 teams tasked with a range of challenges in which people of any ability level could take part - from the McKenzie Fox tandem space hopper race to the Pegasus Safety welly wanging contest - with the team from Lloyds TSB Offshore – The Blackhorse Thoroughbreds - emerging overall winners and taking the trophy.

Each team had to pay a ?50 registration fee and raise a minimum of ?100 for Junior Achievement, money that will go towards recruiting and training volunteers to work in schools across the island to help encourage entrepreneurial spirit in young people and equip them with the skills for the world of work.

Junior Achievement chief executive Sue Cook said: ‘We were delighted with how everyone entered wholeheartedly into the spirit of the Alternative Olympics which we’ve been asked to organise again for 2013.  It was a really fun night and our sincere thanks go to sponsors Aston International Ltd, Caledonian Global Financial Services, Energy FM, MAC Financial Ltd., McKenzie Fox, Pegasus Safety Consulting, Skanco Business Systems, Swagelok and Swagelok golf league and Telecabs.’

Teams were fielded by Barclays Wealth, Bedouin Group, Boston, Deloitte, Douglas Bay Rotary Club, Equiom Trust Company Limited, FPS Group, Friends Provident International, Kestrel Insurance, Lloyds TSB Offshore, McKenzie Fox, Puddleducks Nursery, Simcocks Advocates and Utopia Hair Salon.

Sue continued: ‘The teams were fiercely competitive and revealed some surprising athletic talent among the island’s business sector. All in all “Onchan 2012” certainly proved a fantastic curtain-raiser to “London 2012”.

Photo caption - Torchbearer Amber Ratnavel, 10, leads the teams into the stadium. Picture Andrew Barton.