A Commonwealth Video games that when appeared doomed exploded into life with a blinding opening ceremony on Thursday that put a contemporary spin on a sporting occasion usually seen as a relic of the British Empire’s colonial previous.
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Ten years after the 2012 London Olympics it was Birmingham’s second within the highlight, though a smaller one, as Prince Charles, studying a message on behalf of The Queen contained in a Baton that had travelled by means of all 72 nations and areas of the Commonwealth, declared the Video games open.
Nobody might deny Birmingham for giving itself an enormous pat on the again for taking up the accountability of staging the 2022 Video games after Durban, South Africa was stripped of internet hosting duties for failing to ship on guarantees made in its bid.
As an alternative of the same old six-seven years to arrange, Birmingham had 4 and that problem was multiplied by the arrival of COVID-19.
Whereas the pandemic compelled the delay of an Olympics and an Asian Video games, Birmingham pushed forward, delivering on its promise of an on time, on price range challenge.
“I’m a Brummy and this can be a nice metropolis based by individuals who simply received on with,” mentioned Birmingham 2022 chair John Crabtree. “Individuals simply go on with it, that’s why we’re right here frankly.”
“Birmingham is a modest metropolis that want to have the highlight on it for only a bit.”
For one night time a minimum of, Birmingham received its due as 30,000 spectators packed into renovated Alexander Stadium to absorb a slick present that might match up in opposition to any Olympic manufacturing, Organisers say it was watched by over a billion individuals.
CLASSIC STAPLES
The ceremony delivered all of the basic staples of a gap night time extravaganza from the parade of athletes to a bathe of thundering fireworks.
But it surely was the high-tech story-telling of Stella and The Dreamers, a bunch of younger athletes from across the Commonwealth who discover Birmingham’s historical past representing a greater, brighter future that supplied the spine of the 2 and a half hour present.
Whereas night celebrated Birmingham’s cultural variety and tolerance, Britain’s Olympic diving champion Tom Daley, who got here out as homosexual in 2013, used the second to remind everybody that some Commonwealth nations nonetheless implement homophobic colonial-era legal guidelines.
Homosexuality is a legal offence in 35 of the 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth the place punishments embrace whipping, life imprisonment and the demise penalty.
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Daley, who just isn’t competing in Birmingham, ran the Queen’s Baton into the darkened stadium as LGBTQ+ flags lined his path.
On the similar time, the Birmingham Video games will break new floor with extra medals awarded to girls (136) than males (134), a primary for a multi-sport occasion.
Activist Malala Yousafzai, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was shot within the head by a Taliban gunman and spent a part of her restoration in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, additionally had message.
“Each baby deserves the prospect to achieve her full potential and pursue her widest goals,” she advised the viewers.
The night started with a flyover by the Purple Arrows and ended with West Midlands rock band Duran Duran revving up the group underneath a cover of fireworks.
As all the time, nevertheless, essentially the most anticipated second of the night time was the parade of countries as almost 5,000 athletes from 72 international locations and territories, who will compete for medals in 19 sports activities over 11 days, made their entrance.
Australia, broadly anticipated to battle for prime spot on the medal desk as normal, have been first into the stadium whereas their nice rivals England have been final and greeted with an enormous roar.
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