Statue modelled on 23 centuries old original

The statue of an athlete which Douglas Borough Council hopes will be given a new home in the Villa Marina arcade is based on a Greco-Roman original, dating from the third to second century BC.

A number of bronze replicas have been cast, including the two pictured here in the main garden at the Getty Museum in Malibu, California.

The one in Douglas was a feature of the rose garden in Clifton Terrace, until it was attacked by vandals and put into storage some years ago.

Councillors are cleaning it up and are asking the Department of Tourism and Leisure to consider making it a feature in the newly refurbished arcade.

However, architectural historian Peter Kelly has suggested the sports stadium at The Bowl would be more suitable, particularly if the proposed £3.2 million refurbishment goes ahead.