Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony: All you need to know

The curtain-raiser will kickstart the quadrennial multi-sport event.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022. As the host city, Birmingham will see some of the best athletes from various disciplines representing their nations. It is one of the most competitive and prestigious multi-sport meets that attracts crowds and digital viewership from across the globe. The opening ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is set for 28 July 2022.

It will be a memorable event which will see all the participating nations and their athletes walk out with the flag of their respective nations. The grand event is popular among the fans and millions of people worldwide will be tuning in to witness it.

Iqbal Khan, director of the event wants to showcase the heritage and traditions of the city through the opening ceremony. “Since setting out on this journey, I wanted to tell Birmingham’s story and I wanted to tell it right - to show that there is vivid and vibrant confidence about this place, at this moment. It’s the music of this city that truly gives it its voice, and this stunning line-up will connect with a global audience, as we celebrate the best of Birmingham creativity on an international stage,” he said in the run-up to the event.

Here is what’s in store for the 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony:

Venue

The opening ceremony is set to take place at the Alexander Stadium. It is the main athletics venue for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It has a capacity of around 18,000 seats. 

Performers

Legendary music band from Birmingham, Duran Duran will headline the opening ceremony. Other performers that will be performing include Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi and saxophone artist Soweto Kinch. About 700 individuals from 15 choirs will perform as a group that come across the West Midlands. 

Indian Flag-bearers

Two-time Olympic medal winner P.V. Sindhu will be India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. She is one of the strongest hopes for gold at the Commonwealth Games. The Badminton ace was also the flag-bearer during the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Australia. India is one of the 72 countries that are participating in the multi-sport extravaganza. 

Along with the two-time Olympic medallist, the men's hockey team's captain Manpreet Singh will be the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent. Manpreet was also the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

Time

The opening ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place at 7:00 PM local time in Birmingham or 11:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time). 

Broadcast

Viewers can catch the opening ceremony and the Commonwealth Games action live on Sony SIX, Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3 and Sony TEN 4 TV channels in India. Live streaming will also be available on the SonyLIV app across multiple devices.