| Server: Birmingham Day: July 28 to August 8 |
| Network coverage: Watch live on BBC TV with additional streams on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra; Live text and online clips. |
Birmingham opened its Commonwealth Games in spectacular style with a hopeful, glamorous ceremony at Alexander Stadium.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai emphasized the importance of education in a surprise appearance while diver Tom Daley showed support for LGBTQ+ rights as the relay ended.
But perhaps the biggest shock came when a more than 10m tall cartoon bull stormed the stadium as part of a ceremony celebrating the multiculturalism of both Birmingham and the Commonwealth.
As the athletes’ parade ended, each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were greeted warmly before host country England arrived in a cloud of confetti to send the volume soaring with the performance. Crowd performance of We Will Rock You.
The Olympics officially open, with events starting on Friday and more than 5,000 athletes representing 72 countries and regions across 19 sports and 280 medal events through May 8. 8.
A call for social change
In an opening ceremony partially presided over by Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders creator and organizer said to be watched by more than a billion people worldwide, Birmingham put their initial stamp on what they wanted. deliver to the sports world for the next 12 days.
Malala and Daley weren’t the only ones calling for social change during the event, and a mile from Alexander Stadium, roadside signs read “sports is just the beginning”.
It will be more likely because athletes have been told that, unlike at the Olympics, they can use their platform to protest against social injustice at these Games.
The ceremony alludes to the dark side of the Commonwealth’s past, with chains representing those used in the slave trade pulling the giant bull into the stadium.
But it also calls for unity among a group of nations whose future is increasingly uncertain, with rival nation Barbados having replaced the Queen as head of state and Jamaica’s prime minister saying they will ” continue”.
Daley has previously spoken out against Commonwealth countries criminalizing same-sex relationships and the diver has continued that work in a new BBC documentary.
He also brought the cause into the stadium, with the Olympic champion entering the stadium by activists holding LGBT+ flags as he played his part in the Queen’s relay just before the Olympics officially opened.
A surreal Shakespeare puppet and dancing cars
The weight of heritage hung in the air before the ceremony began, as Birminghamers flooded the stadium to celebrate their city becoming the center of a global event.
Some have questioned the Commonwealth Games’ relevance in an increasingly cramped sports calendar and costing £778m, but that message doesn’t seem to reach many of the fans queuing before the gates. Alexander Stadium is open.
The ceremony, in front of 30,000 people, began with a call for unity: “In times of darkness, we carry a dream of light that calls us all to gather.”
The ceremony began with a call for unity: “In times of darkness, we carry a dream of light that calls us all to gather.”
A tense opening sequence, led by drumming, reaches its climax and gives way to a flurry of red, white and blue cars rushing into the stadium.
They formed Union Jack before a vintage Aston Martin brought Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall into the arena.
The surrealism of a stadium full of cars was quickly replaced by a four-meter-tall puppet of William Shakespeare entering.
It was a ceremony of light and shade, abrupt transitions between sublime sequences into moments of anger and chaos.
A playful – and somewhat eerie – moment with Shakespeare and three other giant puppets turned darker as a tower at the end of the stadium was engulfed in flames to represent a burned-out library with collection of Shakespeare’s works inside.
Then Malala – who became a Birmingham resident after receiving treatment there when she was shot by the Taliban as a teenager in Pakistan – entered the stadium for the biggest cheer of the night.
She raved about children, especially girls, getting access to an education before welcoming the crowds to Birmingham.
The bull goes on a rampage, then dances
Nothing demonstrates the movement between light and shadow more than the moment when Drag Race star Ginny Lemon celebrates Birmingham’s pioneering achievements ends when a giant bull enters the stadium dynamic – pass the spotlight from one icon to another.
The bull was tamed by the ceremony’s top star, Stella, who then climbed to the top and rode it around the stadium to the music before Birmingham’s favorite son, Sir Lenny Henry interrupt the procedure to welcome 72 teams of excited athletes into the arena.
He was the last team to enter, with the singing of the crowd making their entrance all the more intimidating.
Daley then stepped in to end the relay alongside other British favorites including hockey player Alex Danson and gymnast Max Whitlock.
Prince Charles opened the Games reading a message from the Queen calling Birmingham “a pioneer city … a symbol of the rich diversity and unity of the Commonwealth”.
Fireworks followed as LEDs lit up the crowd and Birmingham’s own Duran Duran stepped in to bring the party to an end as the giant bull shook his head to the beat.
What to watch on the first day
This year’s event features the largest number of female events (136) and Para-sport athletes (42) in Olympic history and will feature up to 11 live streams to choose from on BBC iPlayer and the website. BBC Sport.
On Friday, England’s Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown will compete for gold in the triathlon (11:00-16:00 BST) and England and Scotland have high hopes in cycling (16:00). -18:10).
Australia can steal the show in the pool (19:00 21:50), where Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus can open her account and Zac Stubblety-Cook can set a world record.
In gymnastics, England and Scotland will compete for a gold medal in the men’s team (9:00-20:30).
