A team of 16 youngsters, selected by the Isle of Wight Athletics Club, will fly out to the Canary Islands for the World Island Youth Games.

The games, which are for the under-17s, will be held in Gran Canaria between 26 and 30 May.

The Isle of Wight team will be taking part alongside 14 other islands.

The World Youth Games will be a stepping stone in the sport to higher international standards Athletics coach Ray Scovell

They include the Azores, the Canaries, Corsica, Corfu, Madeira, Malta and Sicily.

Council leisure officer Lee Matthews, who organised the island's involvement with the games, said: "This event gives our talented youngsters the opportunity to compete against some of the world's very best young athletes for the very first time.

"Although the island is sending quite a small team this year, we are certainly not short of talent."

Those taking part are from Cowes, Sandown and Ryde high schools.

The games are the eighth to be held and are run by a different organisation than that behind the more famous Island Games.