With just under 300 days to go until the opening of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia, CGA IOM are delighted to announce the medical team that will travel to the Games to support Team Isle of Man.

Dr Frank Vaughn will be the team doctor, a role that he first took on at the 2010 Games and repeated in 2014.

Ruth Cooil and Wendy Shallcross have been appointed team physiotherapists.

Ruth will be attending her 4th Games, having made her debut at the 2006 Games in Melbourne.  She was also physio co-ordinator for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games held here on the Isle of Man.

Wendy will be attending her 2nd Games after also working with the team in Glasgow 2014.

The medical team have experience working at multi-sport Games and will be an invaluable resource for Team IOM in Australia.

Chef de Mission for the Team IOM in 2018 Leonie Cooil said ‘having such an experienced medical team with us in the Gold Coast will be fantastic for our athletes.  They provide an exceptional service ensuring that our athletes can focus entirely on their performance.’

It is a proven philosophy that limiting distractions to our athletes provides a clear psychological advantage during competition, and having a dedicated support network behind them will undoubtedly give us an important edge in Gold Coast.

As a team, giving our athletes the opportunity to compete on a global stage is our number one priority, and our experienced medical team is bound to ensure that the Manx athletes are able to compete at their best, come March 2018.

We really hope that our medal mentality shines through and provides a memorable performance to put the Isle of Man once again on the sporting map.

Photo - Wendy and Ruth at the 2014 Games in Glasgow.