About 60,000 people filled Nehru Stadium for the opening ceremony, which featured 7,000 performers from all over India, many of them schoolchildren. It depicted 5,000 years of India's cultural history in a pageant of music, light and dance. The head of the Delhi organising committee, Suresh Kalmadi, in his opening remarks, He thanked all 71 Commonwealth nations for attending, saying they had "showcased... faith in India" by their participation. Participants paraded through the stadium, carrying national flags and waving to the crowd.
With almost 7,000 athletes and support staff from 71 countries in participation, the 19th Commonwealth Games will be the largest sporting event in India's history. It has also become the most expensive Commonwealth Games so far. Games officials and thousands of people worked around the clock to ensure that the village was habitable and that the competition could start on time.
Drummers beat out a countdown to the opening as a vast helium balloon rose towards the sky.
About 100,000 police and paramilitary officers were deployed as shops and businesses closed for the day. About 80,000 police on duty have been reinforced by 17,000 paramilitary troops to counter the danger of an attack by extremists. Fighter aircraft and helicopter gun ships are on standby.
The Games were put at risk last week when several countries, including England, Scotland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand expressed their concerns over the poor state of the athletes' village. Some athletes had their departures to Delhi delayed while others were put up in hotels as more 4,000 people, were drafted in to work round the clock, made sure the village was hospitable.
The sports programme will start with swimming events today. Four other titles will be decided in the pool on day one while two weightlifting and one artistic gymnastics gold will also be awarded.
