Commonwealth Games opens with glittering ceremony

adamhigginsuk
Jul 23, 2014
4 min read

Grand opening: Entertainer Karen Dunbar, born in Ayr, got the show started with a song devoted to Scottish culture which was composed specially for the ceremony (Picture from Zimbio.com)

THE 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow officially opened with an enchanting ceremony celebrating Scottish life.

Around 3,000 cast members performed at the colourful curtain raiser which fulfilled the organisers' promise to "surprise, delight and be uniquely Glaswegian and Scottish".

The spectacular event - staged at Celtic Park stadium in front of a 40,000 crowd - signalled the end of the Queen's Baton relay which had embarked on a 10-month journey across the Commonwealth with the torch transported by some 4,000 people.

The start of the 20th edition of the Games was confirmed once her Majesty The Queen read a hospitable message hidden inside the baton.

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Speech: The Queen delivers her message after Malaysia's Commonwealth Games Federation president Prince Imran struggled to open the specially crafted baton (Picture from Getty Images)

"The baton relay represents a calling together of people from every part of the Commonwealth and serves as a reminder of our shared ideals and ambitions," said Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Commonwealth.

She added: "To you, the Commonwealth athletes, I send my good wishes for success in your endeavours. Your accomplishments over the coming days will encourage us all to strengthen the bonds that unite us."

Televised live on BBC One in the United Kingdom, an estimated audience of 1.5 billion tuned in around the globe.

Approximately 6,500 athletes from 71 nations and territories paraded around the home of Celtic Football Club, led by previous hosts India and ending with a rapturous reception for Team Scotland - whose flag bearer was Judo player Euan Burton.

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Greetings: All 312 athletes from Team Scotland - boasting tartan kilts and shawls - waved to the crowd as they brought the parade of the nations to a close (Picture from Flickr.com)

To accommodate the ceremony, Celtic's Uefa Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik was switched to Murrayfield Stadium, the home of Scottish rugby in Edinburgh on Tuesday night.

A giant LED screen - the largest in Europe at 100m by 11m - was installed across the entire South Stand for the opening ceremony, which was attended by former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Complemented by humour and warmth, the event contained esteemed performances from Scottish singers Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle and Amy Macdonald while Hollywood actor James McAvoy and cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy teamed up to appeal on behalf of children's charity Unicef.

Adventurer Mark Beaumont landed on the city's river Clyde in a seaplane carrying the baton to Celtic Park while Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor gave a pre-recorded message to kick start the proceedings.

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Familiar face: Glasgow-raised Rod Stewart sang his 1991 single Rhythm Of The Heart at the opening ceremony (Picture from Zimbio.com)

As the sun set on the hottest day of the year so far in Glasgow, the grand opening was brought to life in dazzling fashion by a light-hearted musical tour of Scotland, led by comedienne Karen Dunbar and theatre star John Barrowman.

Featuring a giant haggis, Tunnock's teacakes, the Loch Ness monster, golf clubs and 41 Scottish terrier dogs amongst others, it was a self-depricating showcase of traditional Scottish values and culture.

Glaswegian actor and comedian Billy Connolly gave his own guide to welcome the Games to his home city.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond also paid tribute to the victims of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, leading an impeccably observed minute's silence.

18 different sports will take place in 13 venues across 11 days of competition, which will conclude with the closing ceremony on August 3 at Hampden Park - a newly-transformed athletics venue.

It is the third time the four-yearly event is being held in Scotland - and the first in Glasgow with the previous two in Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986.

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Last time: The opening ceremony of the 1986 Games took place at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh (Picture from Sports Archive.com)

The Games also return to Britain for the first time in 12 years when the city of Manchester hosted the event in 2002.

With an overall budget of £472 million, Glasgow was awarded the Games in November 2007 at the Federation Assembly in Sri Lanka, beating Nigeria's capital Abuja in the vote.

Almost one million tickets have been sold for the sporting extravaganza with Sir Chris Hoy insisting Glasgow can deliver "the biggest and best Commonwealth Games we've ever seen".

The Scottish host city will seek to restore the reputation of the Games which was marred in 2010 by a series of issues in Delhi, including poor ticket sales and incomplete venues.

The first medals to be won will come in the triathlon events, held in Strathclyde Country Park on Thursday, with 20 golds on offer.

Among the household names appearing at Glasgow 2014 are English diver Tom Daley, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and Paralympic champion David Weir while cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins will be chasing his first Commonwealth gold in the team pursuit.