INTERNATIONAL sport comes to Lancaster this summer when the Youth Games kick off.

The Games are organised by the Lancaster, Morecambe and District Sports Council along with City Council support. This will be the 26th Youth Games, and the fifth to take place in the Red Rose capital.

The City of Lancaster has five twin and two associate towns and each year competitors travel to one of them to compete in the Games.

Every fourth year Lancaster are the hosts and Aalborg (Denmark), Perpignan (France), Rendsburg (Germany), Lublin (Poland), Vaxjo (Sweden), Almere (Holland) and Viana do Castelo (Portugal) are invited to send a delegation of between 25 to 100 children to join the 150 strong Lancaster team, taking part.

And between July 25 and 29 they will show their prowess in athletics, badminton, football, golf, karate, rowing, tennis, table tennis and swimming.

A full programme of training, heat and event times is being currently being drawn up and there will also be a full programme of events to support the International Youth Games through the week.

Visiting children, aged between 14 and 16, will be housed with local families for the duration of their stay.