GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland are at the top of the medal table at this year’s European Transplant and Dialysis Games, held in Oxfordshire for the first time.

The games, which welcomed 400 athletes from all over Europe, all transplant recipients or dialysis patients, opened on Sunday with a parade at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford and kickstarted at Radley College, near Abingdon, with darts and badminton singles on Monday.

Most of the competitions will take place at Radley College, with other events taking place at the Blenheim Palace, near Woodstock, including a cycling challenge and a 5K “mini marathon.”

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On Tuesday, team Great Britain and Northern Ireland was at the top of the medal table, with 22 gold medals, 10 silver and 15 bronze, followed by Hungary and Germany.

Today (Wednesday August 24)  athletes competed in badminton doubles, volleyball, petanque and a cycling time trial at Blenheim.

On Thursday, the college will host tennis singles and football, while Blenheim will host a cycling road race and petanque.

Friday will see athletics events, tennis, table tennis doubles and archery at the college. The games will conclude on Saturday with athletics, squash and a closing ceremony and a gala ball.

The event is similar to the Paralympics Games or Invictus Games and it represents an opportunity to promote the benefits of organ donation and life-saving impact of organ transplantation.

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This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers. 

Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi