Birmingham opened the Commonwealth Games in spectacular style with a captivating, hopeful ceremony at Alexander Stadium. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai highlighted the importance of education in a surprise speech, while diver Tom Daley held a show of support for LGBTQ+ rights as the relay concluded. But perhaps the biggest shock came when a 10m tall animatronic bull steamed into the stadium as part of a ceremony celebrating the multiculturalism of both Birmingham and the Commonwealth. As the parade of athletes finished, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each received a warm welcome before hosts England arrived in a cloud of confetti to send the volume soaring with a rendition of We Will Rock You. The Games are officially open, with events starting on Friday and more than 5,000 athletes representing 72 nations and territories in 19 sports and 280 medal events until August 8.
A call for social change
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai received one of the biggest cheers of the night for her powerful speech In its opening ceremony, partly devised by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Birmingham laid down an early indicator of what it wants to offer the sporting world over the next 12 days. Malala and Daley weren’t the only ones calling for social change during the event and a mile away from Alexander Stadium, roadside signs read “sport is just the beginning”. There will likely be more, given that athletes have said that, unlike the Olympics, they can use their platform to protest social injustice at these Games. The ceremony referred to the darker side of the Commonwealth’s past, with chains representing those used in the slave trade pulling the giant bull into the stadium. But he also called for cohesion for a group of nations whose futures are increasingly uncertain, with rival nation Barbados already replacing the queen as head of state and Jamaica’s prime minister saying he will “move on”. Daley has previously spoken out against Commonwealth countries that criminalize same-sex relationships, and the diver continued that work in a new BBC documentary. He also took the cause to the stadium, with the Olympian entering the stadium flanked by activists holding LGBT+ flags as he played his part in the Queen’s Relay shortly before the Games were officially announced.
A surreal Shakespeare puppet and dancing cars
The weight of legacy hung in the air before the ceremony had even begun as Birmingham residents flooded the stadium to celebrate their city being at the center of a global event. Some questioned the relevance of the Commonwealth Games in an increasingly packed sporting calendar, but that message did not seem to have got through to the many fans queuing to get in before the Alexander Stadium gates opened. The ceremony began with a call for unity: “In times of darkness, we carry a dream of light that calls us all to come together.” An intense drum opening sequence crescendoed and gave way to a line of red, white and blue cars entering the stadium. They formed a Union Jack before a classic Aston Martin brought Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall into the arena. The surrealism of a field full of cars was soon replaced by a four-metre tall marionette of William Shakespeare entering. It was a ceremony of light and shadow, shifting suddenly between soaring sequences to moments of fury and turmoil. A happy – and slightly strange – moment with Shakespeare and three other giant puppets turned darker as a tower at the end of the stage was engulfed in images of flame to symbolize a burning library with a collection of Shakespeare’s works inside. Then Malala – who became a Birmingham resident after receiving treatment there after being shot by the Taliban as a teenager in Pakistan – entered the stadium to the biggest cheer of the night. She spoke passionately as ever about children, especially girls, having access to education before welcoming the crowd to Birmingham.
The bull rages and then dances
A giant animatronic bull, a tribute to Birmingham’s industrial past, was one of the highlights of the opening ceremony Nothing demonstrated the movement between light and dark more than when Drag Race star Ginny Lemon’s song celebrating Birmingham’s pioneering achievements ended as a giant raging bull entered the stadium – taking 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 led it around the stadium to loud music, before Birmingham’s favorite son Sir Lenny Henry interrupted proceedings to welcome 72 groups of excited athletes in the arena. England were the last to enter, with the singing of the crowd making their entrance all the more terrifying. Daly then stepped in to complete the relay alongside other English favourites, including hockey player Alex Danson and athlete Max Whitlock. Prince Charles opened the Games as he read a message from the Queen who called Birmingham “a pioneering city… symbolic of the Commonwealth’s rich diversity and unity”. Fireworks followed as LED lights flashed across the crowd and Birmingham’s Duran Duran entered to bring the party to a close as the giant bull bobbed its head to the beat. Diver Tom Daley carried the Queen’s baton into the stadium towards the end of the opening ceremony
