Commonwealth Games 2022 Opening Ceremony: India welcomed

The ceremony was highly entertaining with a lot of symbolic imagery pertaining to the host city.

It was a fabulous beginning to the 2022 Commonwealth Games through an emotional opening ceremony. The prestigious multi-sport event will take place from 28 July 2022 to 08 August 2022 in the city of Birmingham, England. The opening ceremony on Thursday declared the 22nd edition of the Games open with a lot of incredible artistic performances at the Alexander Stadium.

A total of 72 countries will have their athletes take part in various disciplines with an aim to win a maximum number of medals. India is one of the biggest contingents at the multi-sport event. As many as 211 Indian athletes will be participating in numerous sporting events, fighting for the medals with immense determination.

Venue

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The opening ceremony took place at the Alexander Stadium. The venue will also be the main athletics venue for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It has a capacity of around 18,000 seats which was full to the brim for the opening ceremony. 

The stadium has hosted many reputed athletic events such as the Diamond League. It has been rebuilt for the 2022 Commonwealth Games after demolition in 2019. Alexander Stadium is also popular for holding music events. The opening ceremony had a perfect stage.

Performers

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There were hundreds of artists that made the opening ceremony incredibly memorable. Over 700 individuals from 15 choirs performed as a group that come across the West Midlands.  Tony Iommi, the former Black Sabbath guitarist, a local, was one of the performers on the evening.

Birmingham is a city home to multiple automotive brands that gave birth to legendary cars. The Alexander Stadium was full of iconic cars from brands such as Aston Martin, Range Rover, Jaguar, etc during the event, to pay homage to the city’s automotive history. 

There was a lot of diversity on display with multiple dance performances, depicting the ethnical diversity of Birmingham, ballet, bhangra, contemporary and much more. There was a huge mechanical bull on display as the animal holds a special place in the history and traditions of Birmingham. 

Athletes’ Parade

Oceania countries were first to be introduced and Australia was the first nation to walk out inside the stadium as the athletes from all the participating nations waved to the spectators in the stands. The Indian contingent was welcomed with a huge roar from the crowd. Flagbearers two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh led the contingent with pride.

Here are some of the best pictures from the opening ceremony