The 2011 Isle of Man Commonwealth Youth Games will be streamed live worldwide on the BBC’s Isle of Man website. The event, which will be filmed by Greenlight Television, will be staged in the Isle of Man’s National Sports Stadium, on Thursday 8th September from 7.15pm local time. The ceremony, which has been produced by acclaimed national outdoor performance specialists ‘Walk The Plank’, (www.walktheplank.co.uk) will feature over 225 dancers, musicians and actors as they pay tribute to the Isle of Man’s heritage, and welcome guests from all over the world. The ceremony will blend the best of Manx culture with references to five continents from which the Commonwealth athletes come, and will draw together young people, children and adults from all over the island. The performance will open with a welcome from ‘Mannanan’, the Manx Sea god. It will then move through time and evoke the spirit of the Manx Faeries and Mannanan’s Cloak, the mythical protector of the Island. Historical references including the Viking invasions and the rise of Christianity will be depicted in the ceremony before it moves to more modern themes and the emergence of the ‘Spirit of Youth’, with gymnasts and parkour specialists demonstrating their skills. The performance then develops an international flavour with costumed dancers presenting dance and music inspired by the five continents and a ‘Carnival of the Commonwealth’ before the show reaches a climax with the ‘We are the World’ finale featuring all of the performers, and some spectacular special effects. Geoff Karran, MBE, Chairman of the Isle of Man CYG 2011 Organising Committee commented: “The Isle of Man has an incredibly rich heritage and the opening ceremony is an excellent way for us to tell our story. I’m delighted that the BBC will be showing the opening ceremony live via the internet and I’m sure that many people will be logging on to watch around the world.” Tickets for the Opening Ceremony and all of the sporting events can be purchased from the Welcome Centre, the Villa Marina or from the NSC reception. Tickets for the Opening Ceremony are ?15 and for sporting events range from ?6 to ?10 with concessions in certain sports for disabled, pensioners and juniors. ENDS