The 20th Commonwealth games in Glasgow came to life this morning with an opening ceremony that resembled a Glasgow house party, filled with all the things that make Glasgow and Scotland unique.
From whisky and haggis to dancing tea-cakes, colourful kits and even the appearance of the Loch Ness monster, the sell-out crowd of 40,100 were treated to a visual feast, made all the more vibrant with the sound of the pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments.
Those were not the only auditory delights that audiences were treated to, with Susan Boyle performing as her majesty the Queen entered the arena with Prince Phillip, in addition to a knock out performance delivered by part Scotsman Rod Stewart.
As spectacular as all of this was, nobody could outshine the gorgeous Scottish Terriers dressed in tartan coats embellished with each country’s name, that led each competing nation and territory into the Celtic Park.
Amongst all of the festivities and celebrations, those who perished in the recent MH17 tragedy were not far from everyone’s minds, with a minutes silence taken to remember the 298 people who lost their lives, while the Malaysians also wore black armbands as a tribute.
Malaysia’s Nicol David, Australia’s Ian Thorpe representing Oceania, Canadian Paralympic legend Chantal Petitclerc, Kenyan runner Kip Keino representing Africa, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce representing the Caribbean, and Scotland’s Graeme Randall were the Commonwealth Games flag carriers.
