XVIII Commonwealth Games Blog

XVIII Commonwealth Games
Blog: 16th March 2006

XVIII Commonwealth Games Blog: 16th March 2006

Walking around Melbourne yesterday was fascinating, as you could feel the anticipation in the air. The city has been preparing for this for over a decade, and it's clear that they feel this will help give Melbourne its rightful place alongside Sydney as a world sporting capital. The two cities couldn't be much more different, really - Sydney's beach culture and raw natural beauty contrasted with Melbourne's European-style river bank cafe culture. And the build up could be felt everywhere in thehours leading to the opening ceremony.

It was great to be inside the stadium for the opening - although it would have been spectacular from anywhere in the city centre, as the fireworks not only engulfed the MCG but spread outinto the Yarra River and across the tops of the city skyscrapers as well. It was one of the most astonishing fireworks displays ever staged, and it left everyone completely gobsmacked. Well, I guess the organisers had promised us "Melbourne's biggest night ever".

Those of us inside the stadium got to participate by singing the national anthem along with the performers, flashing our rubbery-crystal flickering star pendants, which created that shimmering stadium effect, and choking back the smoke created when a team of fire-spewing skaters and dancers filled the stadium floor for the sparky finale.

The programme was the usual earnest and surreal mumbo jumbo about meaning and potential - something about a boy and his magical duck, ballerinas and motorbike riders, and lots of fish - but at least it started out with a cheeky tram flying over and into the stadium, and there were excellent musical performances by the rock band The Church, former Neighbours star Delta Goodrem, and especially the fascinating fusion band Cat Empire, who tenaciously played for over an hour as athletes from 71 nations and territories paraded into the stadium. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa even popped in to sing Happy Birthday to the Queen.

It would be nice if someone thought of a new way of staging these ceremonies - with a story that actually said something and less time consumed with the seemingly endless athlete's march - but the tradition does manage to kick off an event like this in high style. And now, on the morning after, we're ready to see some world records fall.

Rich Cline.

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