You have to go back to Victoria 1994 to find the last Games where the island nation did not trouble the medal table, with a steady stream of success coming afterwards.

The duck was broken emphatically at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Games, which saw Mauritius win four medals including gold for flyweight boxer Richard Sunee.

Boxing has proved particularly fruitful for Mauritius, a honeymoon paradise which lies in the Indian Ocean around 2,000 kilometres from the African mainland.

Eight of the country's 13 medals have come in the ring with the nation, previously a territory of both Britain and France, also reaching the podium in athletics, judo and weightlifting.

Track and field stars include Stéphan Buckland, who won 200 metres silver at Melbourne 2006, and Kersley Gardenne, who became the first Mauritian Commonwealth Games medallist with pole vault bronze in Kuala Lumpur.

Sunee remains as the only ever Mauritian gold medallist, however, and Richard Papie, the country's Chef de Mission for Birmingham 2022, is keen for more success.

Top of the agenda will be improving on the single silver medal the country won last time out at Gold Coast 2018, which was the island's lowest haul for 16 years.

"Mauritius won a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia," said Papie, the first vice-president of the Mauritius Olympic Committee.

"Weightlifter Roilya Ranaivosoa was the only medalist from Mauritius. 

"Our expectation for Birmingham 2022 is to do better in terms of results."

Ranaivosoa, a double Olympian who won her silver in Gold Coast in the 48 kilograms event, will be among the Mauritius squad in Birmingham.

Sixty-one athletes are due to represent Mauritius in all, in athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, judo, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling. 

"It is a pleasure for Mauritius to participate in this 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games which will be held in Birmingham, England from July 28 to August 8," said Papie, who has served as President of the country's wrestling federation. 

"As a Commonwealth country, we attach great importance to this great sporting mass."

Mauritius first competed at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958.

They have been ever-present since then, with the exception of the Edinburgh 1986 Games.

Stars from the country include boxer Bruno Julie, who remains as the only Mauritian Olympic medallist after his bantamweight bronze at Beijing 2008.

Julie also earned Commonwealth silver and bronze medals and is one of only two athletes from the country, alongside fellow boxer Giovanni Frontin, to have medalled at two editions of the Games.

The country regularly competes at the Indian Ocean Island Games, where it has won more than 400 golds to sit behind Réunion on the all-time medal table.

Mauritius has hosted the event three times, in 1985, 2003 and 2011.

In November, the Queen's Baton Relay for Birmingham 2022 arrived and travelled a lengthy 199 kilometres around the island.

To negate the impact on the environment, the baton was taken by electric bus or on the metro system when possible.

Canoeists and rowers held the baton in the Indian Ocean, while it also visited Parliament and the Naval Museum.

Papie will be assisted by two team managers at Birmingham 2022 - Aline Li and Fayzal Bundhun.

They are due to travel to Birmingham on July 19 to prepare for the arrival of the country's athletes.

"I wish good luck to all the participating countries," Papie said. 

"And big thanks to the host country England for organising this major sporting event despite the difficult economic situation linked to COVID-19."