EIGHT children who have receive kidney donations are among athletes representing the north in the British Transplant Games.
The youngsters are representing the Belfast Children's Hospital at the RVH in west Belfast at the games in Leeds, which got underway this week and run until Sunday.
The event, specifically for athletes who have received transplants, is held annually and is taking place this summer for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic.
They have been held in the north twice since beginning in 1978, with Belfast hosting in 2011 and 1998.
Former UUP MLA Jo-Anne Dobson is the Northern Ireland ambassador for the charity Kidney Care UK, and was on-hand to see off the eight youngsters.
Ms Dobson, who donated a kidney to her son Mark in 2018, said the charity was "delighted" to be supporting the young athletes as they prepared to compete.
"It was lovely to see them off - lots of smiling faces and medal hopes as, accompanied by family, friends and their amazing renal nurse Hazel Gibson, they boarded their plane," she said.
"We have been a proud partner of the Transplant Games for the last 10 years and we’re looking forward to another fantastic event. The games are an incredible opportunity to unite the transplant community, especially after the last two years and the struggles many in our community have faced.
"Hazel looked after my Mark at the Children's Hospital and it's lovely to see her still supporting the children from the Renal Unit today.
Ms Dobson added: "Whether you are there to enjoy the camaraderie, to take part, or to win, everyone is there for the same reason: to show the world that organ donation and transplantation changes lives."
Other athletes from the north taking part in the Leeds games include survivors of bone marrow and liver transplants.
The chair of charity Transplant Sport NI, Orla Smyth said the event would be special for participants as many were forced to shield for an "awfully long time" due to Covid risks.
"It's the first time in three years that the transplant community has been able to get together," she said.
