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RICHARD CABORN, the Minister for Sport, and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell visited Manchester last week to watch the 'topping out’ ceremony at the Commonwealth Stadium. The two ministers also toured other Games venues and met with organisers.

The ceremony marks the construction of the stadium's highest point. Developers say they expect the stadium to be complete by Christmas at which point it will be handed over to engineers for the final fitting-out phase.

The 38,000-seater City of Manchester stadium will be the centrepiece of the XVII Commonwealth Games. It will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as ten days of intense competition in athletics and rugby sevens.

The stadium is situated within three kilometres of the Games Village and has been built with the help of a £77m grant from Sport England. When the Games are over, it will be become the home of Manchester City Football Club from 2003 onwards.

The XVII Commonwealth Games will be the largest Commonwealth Games ever, with athletes from 72 nations taking part.

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