Watch Live Stream of Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 Opening Ceremony 

Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 will officially open on 31 July 2010 with an impressive celebration at the RheinEnergieStadion, and you can watch it live streamed online.
The opening ceremonies will feature international stars, artistic athletic presentations, music, and of course the official procession of the participants!

10,000 athletes as well as about 2,000 artists for the cultural events from more than 70 countries are expected. Country by country they will all march into the stadium, bringing the colors of the world to Cologne.

Correspondents Uwe Lautenschläger and Stefan Sartorius will begin coverage at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) where they will welcome guests, celebrities and many of the athletes who will be participating in the Games.

At 10:30 a.m. (PDT) the live broadcasting of the whole opening ceremony begins. The traditional entry of the 70 national teams with more than 10.000 participants will be broadcast by Tina Stotz and Uwe Lautenschläger.

Highlights from the broadcast will include remarks by Guido Westerwelle, Vice Chancellor and Secretary of State of Germany and patron of the Gay Games, who will declare the Games formally open. Westerwelle is the highest-ranking politician in the 30 year long history of the Gay Games to participate in the Opening Ceremonies.

Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Mitcham, one of the few openly gay athletes in the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008, will speak the oath of the athletes, followed by the flame of the Gay Games and the Rainbow Flag entering the stadium.

Hundreds of artists, dancers and fire artists will then provide an impressive choreographed Welcome of the Nations. Featured performers will include international stars Agnes, singing her hit “Release me…” and Taylor Dayne, who will perform the official hymn of the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 “Facing a Miracle”.

The complete broadcasting of the international opening ceremony can be followed via live stream at http://koeln.center.tv. The official homepage of the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 with all information regarding the sporty competition and tickets you can find at www.games-cologne.de.

Rebroadcasts will be on (Cologne time, with a nine hour time difference) Sunday, Aug, 1 at 12:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and 
Monday, Aug, 2 at 12:30 p.m.