A squad of athletes is leaving the Island for Greece on Sunday for the biggest sporting event in the world this year.
The Summer Games of the 2011 Special Olympics in Athens will be attended by around 7,500 competitors from over 180 countries and includes 21 different sports.
The Island is sending a team of 27 athletes, all with learning disabilities, competing in nine different disciplines.
Earlier this year it was thought the Island wouldn't be able to send a team due to the huge costs involved in flying all the athletes, helpers and equipment to Greece.
But National Director of Special Olympics Isle of Man, Beryl Wooldridge, says their supporters really came up trumps and rasied the money with a huge variety of fund raising schemes.
She says the team will be going all out for some medals.
The team returns to the Island on Tynwald Day.
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