LAST night's spectacular Commonwealth Youth Games opening ceremony has been praised by sports fans across the world.

Athletes from 63 nations were given a fantastic reception at the newly re-developed Bowl stadium in Douglas.

This was followed by a fantastic show featuring 250 talented performers who paid tribute to the Isle of Man's heritage as well as other cultures.

The show was streamed live via the BBC Isle of Man website and a number of viewers sent comments to isleofman.com delighted with what they saw.

Steve Kimber said: Simply fantastic, made me proud to be Manx."

Marietha Malan said: "Wow we watched the ceremony live-streamed on the internet here in South Africa. Thanks BBC. The ceremony was amazing. Well done."

Guy said: "Fantastic ceremony and a fantastic effort by everyone involved." 

Louise said: "We watched the ceremony live-streamed via BBC on the internet here in New Zealand. Isle of Man - you've certainly done yourselves proud."

Photo by Bill Dale