‘Manx National Heritage’s popular ‘Our Sporting Life’ exhibition closed at the Manx Museum in September, but the celebration of Manx sporting achievement continues at the National Sports Centre in Douglas. Manx National Heritage has just finished installing sections of the exhibition at the Isle of Man Sport Institute. The new exhibition celebrates the Island’s most successful sporting heroes, whilst also examining the Isle of Man’s success at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The new exhibition aims to inspire the next generation of elite athletes who regularly use the Sports Institute for training purposes.
The Isle of Man Sport Institute building is located at the National Sports Centre and is operated by Isle of Man Sport Aid. The Institute offers support services for the Island’s best sportsmen and women which enable them to reach national and international standard in their chosen sport. Services offered at the Sports Institute include medical support, sports nutrition, sports psychology, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning training and performance lifestyle support. The Institute also runs programmes for the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association and a number of Isle of Man representative squads.
Chris Quine from Isle of Man Sport Aid commented:
‘We are delighted to be part of this initiative which allows this very interesting exhibition to continue amongst the sporting community. As well as bringing the walls of the Institute to life, we hope the images and words will remind visitors and users of the Institute of the rich sporting heritage of the Isle of Man and serve as an inspiration for others to excel in their chosen field.’
In addition to ‘Our Sporting Life’ at the Isle of Man Sport Institute, Manx National Heritage has also put the London 2012 Official Olympic Relay Torch from their collections on display at the National Sports Centre.
Katie King, Community Engagement Officer for Manx National Heritage explained:
‘Torch bearers, Rugby Development Coach Ian ‘Wagga’ Williams with kind support of Lloyds TSB. We wanted to put the Torch on display in a prominent location and the National Sports Centre was ideal, with many thousands of families using the excellent facility each year. We hope everyone stops to admire the Torch and to think about what is represents. We hope the Torch enables the spirit of London 2012 to continue through inspiring future generations of athletes to follow their dreams.’
The London 2012 Olympic Torch can be seen at the National Sports Centre from 3 December. The ‘Our Sporting Life’ exhibition at the Isle of Man Sports Institute can be viewed by users of the Institute or via appointment with Isle of Man Sport.
Photo - Ian ‘Wagga’ Williams donating his London 2012 Olympic Torch to Manx National Heritage’s Kirsty Neate and Katie King.
