Chaotic Delhi finally on song for opening show
Plagued by charges of corruption, security fears and shambolic organisation, the 19th Commonwealth Games threw off the shackles of its chaotic lead-up Sunday to stage a spectacular opening ceremony.
Watched by a crowd of almost 60,000 at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi, with a worldwide television audience of more than a billion, the launch was billed as bringing "India alive" for the 11-day sporting showpiece.
Prince Charles declared the Games open after receiving a relay baton that had travelled some 170,000 kilometres (107,000 miles) to all the Commonwealth nations, most of them former British colonies, before arriving in India. "I have much pleasure in declaring the 19th Commonwealth Games open," the prince said after thousands of the Games' 7,000 participating athletes had paraded around the ground.
The tightly-drilled spectacle - far from the epic which kicked off the Beijing Olympics but as fastidiously organised - marked a stark contrast to the build-up, when the Indian capital suffered weeks of disastrous headlines.
Teams arrived to find the athletes' village unfinished and filthy, a new footbridge next to the main stadium collapsed injuring dozens of workers, and concerns about health, security and transport have also been high.
But from the first crackle of applause to the prince's opening speech almost two hours later, it was clear some chastening lessons had been learnt as more than 6,000 performers showcased 5,000 years of India's history and culture.
The crowd was not so keen, however, when it came to forgiving Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee and the face of the troubled Games, whose speech was greeted by an angry chorus of jeers.
The ceremony kicked off as the Delhi skies darkened with Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of York, introduced to the crowd before drummers beat out the "rhythm of India" accompanied by traditional Shankha trumpeters.
The "Aerostat", a reportedly $9 million (Rs400 million) white helium-filled balloon, rose 25 metres (80 feet) above the ground as the show began.
Athletes from the 71 competing nations paraded around the stadium, moving to their seats before the Queen's Baton was brought in and handed to the prince, who read out a message from the Queen.
"It is particularly fitting that the 2010 Commonwealth Games is being held in India," the message said, referring to the celebrations marking 60 years of Indian independence and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947.
The Games will feature 16 sports, with England and Australia expected to dominate the medals tally.
Tweeting approval
Spectators boo Delhi chief organiser at opening ceremony
Suresh Kalmadi, head of the troubled Commonwealth Games organising committee, was booed when he began his welcome speech to 60,000 spectators at the opening ceremony on Sunday.
The Indian government stepped in last week to complete urgent work on infrastructure for the Delhi Games, which had threatened to become a national embarrassment after several health and security issues raised the possibility they would be cancelled.
The atmosphere otherwise for the teams and officials had been good with the crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium offering a particularly warm applause to Pakistan.
Kalmadi was able to finish his five-minute long speech without further interruption before handing over to Michael Fennell, the chief of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
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With additional input by Reuters.