On 25 July the Queen will perform the official opening ceremony for the XVIIth Commonwealth Games being held in Manchester. It will be the focal point of celebrations for her Golden Jubilee and the red letter date in the national sporting calendar for 2002.
With more than 5,000 athletes from 72 countries participating in 17 sports during a 10-day period, the Commonwealth Games are the largest multi-sport event ever staged in the UK. Estimates put the worldwide TV viewing audience at more than one billion.
