THE Commonwealth Youth Games get underway in the Isle of Man today (Thursday).

Competitors from around the world will be given a warm Manx welcome as they aim to go for gold.

The first sporting action will be the preliminary rounds of the boxing competition at the Villa Marina in Douglas, from noon and the opening ceremony - which will be streamed live on the BBC Isle of Man website and filmed by Greenlight Television - will take place at the Bowl Stadium tonight at 7.15pm.

In total there will be more than 1,000 athletes from 66 nations competing and more than 1,000 Manx residents have volunteered to work at the event.

The majority of the Island's hotels are occupied with more than 2,000 hotel beds being taken for the duration of the games by competitors, officials and visitors.

Some visitors have also been accommodated via the homestay programme which sees Manx residents open their doors to guests.

There will be seven sports in total at the games: badminton, boxing, athletics, swimming, cycling, rugby 7s and gymnastics.

The opening ceremony, which has been produced by acclaimed national outdoor performance specialists Walk The Plank, will feature more than 225 dancers, musicians and actors who will pay tribute to the Isle of Man's heritage and welcome guests from all over the world.

The ceremony will blend Manx culture with references to the five continents which the Commonwealth athletes come from.

The games run until Monday, September 12 with the sporting competitions taking place today, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

Keep checking isleofman.com for the latest news and results about the games.