Yahoo – AFP,
Kieran Canning, 24 July 2014
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Britain's
Queen Elizabeth II declares the games officially open during the opening
ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Celtic Park in Glasgow on July 23,
2014 (AFP Photo/Ben Stansall)
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Glasgow
(AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the 20th Commonwealth Games at
Celtic Park on Wednesday after a moving and colourful ceremony in front of a
40,000 capacity crowd.
The Games
will feature 17 sports across 11 days of competition with more than 4,500
athletes from 71 nations competing, making the event the biggest Scotland has
ever hosted.
The Queen
called on those present to "unite" in difficult times as a minute's
silence was held for the victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight disaster.
Eighty-two
of the 298 people who died last week when the plane came down over eastern
Ukraine were from Commonwealth nations.
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Fireworks
light up the sky during the
opening ceremony of the 2014
Commonwealth Games at
Celtic Park in
Glasgow on July 23, 2014 (AFP Photo/
Glyn Kirk)
|
"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," said the Queen.
"You
remind us that young people, those under 25 years of age, make up half of our
Commonwealth citizens; and it is to you that we entrust our values and our
future.
"I
offer my sincere thanks to the many organisations and volunteers who have
worked diligently to bring these Games to fruition, and indeed to the
spectators here in the stadium and to the millions watching on television.
"Together,
you all play a part in strengthening our friendships in this modern and vibrant
association of nations.
"It
now gives me the greatest pleasure to declare the 20th Commonwealth Games
open."
A
colourful, nearly three-hour long ceremony began with an exuberant sequence
depicting the history of Scotland was followed by live performances from
world-renowned Scottish singers Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle.
The Queen
then made her entrance, accompanied by Prince Philip, whilst the RAF Red Arrows
performed a colourful flyover past the stadium.
Teams from
all 71 nations were then paraded, starting with 2010 hosts India and ending
with Scotland.
Six-time
Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy carried the Queen's baton on the final leg of
its 100,000 mile journey through all of the Commonwealth nations over the past
nine months.
There was a
brief moment of farce when the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation
Prince Tunku Imran couldn't remove the Queen's message from the baton.
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Members of
the Ghana delegation walk past during the opening ceremony of
the 2014
Commonwealth Games at Celtic Park in Glasgow on July 23, 2014 (AFP
Photo/Ben
Stansall)
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However,
once the message was finally removed, the Queen hailed Glasgow's suitability
for a competition often known as the "friendly games."
"Over
the past 288 days the baton has visited all the nations and territories of the
Commonwealth, crossing every continent in a journey of more than 100,000 miles.
"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 as a
diverse, resourceful and cohesive family.
"And
now, that baton has arrived here in Glasgow, a city renowned for its dynamic
cultural and sporting achievements, for the warmth of its people, for this
opening ceremony of the friendly games."
Scottish
First Minister Alex Salmond also welcomed the team athletes and officials to
what he described as "Scotland's scene for 11 days of sport and
culture."
"Welcome
to the Commonwealth of nations, welcome to Scotland," he added.
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