Thursday July 28, 2022 will forever be remembered as a special day for sports in the Commonwealth as the opening ceremony of the Birmingham Games was just amazing and magnificent.
72 nations were on parade at the Alexander Stadium, represented by over 5,000 sportsmen and women, including coaches and Technical Officers.
The organization of the opening ceremony was great, as planning was fantastic, making the estimated 30,000 spectators at the stadium over excited.
The performances were superb and indeed memorable at the 22nd Games which is the third time that England is hosting after London 1934 and Manchester 2002.
The top nations on parade were Australia, England, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Kenya, Wales and Jamaica.
Ghana presented on of the largest contingents of 101 athletes, at the event which has the Motto: Games for everyone. Team Ghana’s outfit was the usual Kente, and it added more colour to the colourful ceremony.
The ceremony began with drummer-percussionist Abraham Paddy Tetteh, before Indian classical vocalist and composer Ranjana Ghatak took the lead of the section intended to showcase the diversity of the city.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet and Brummie dance group Critical Mass brought to life a dance that signifies the restoration of the city’s iconic library and its famous canals.
On display during the magnificent ceremony were the 72 cars from across five decades to form a tribute to Birmingham’s incredible motor industry history.
Queen Elizabeth could not attend the opening ceremony, but Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were at the official start of the Games in place of Her Majesty, who is patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Head of the Commonwealth.
The Games which ends on August 8 will be staged in 15 venues across the West Midlands at different sporting events, including the famous NEC Arena in Birmingham City Centre and the Coventry Stadium.
Boxer Jessie Lartey was selected at the opening ceremony for an interview and he said he wants to change the color of his bronze won in Australia in 2018 to gold in Birmingham 2022.
But the first casualty was USA based Ornella Sathoud the female boxer whose selection was debated among boxing enthusiasts. She lost her bout against an English boxer.
The Ghana female hockey team also lost 5-0 to India, but Team Ghana are not perturbed, as they hope to win in the sports that they also have comparative advantage.
For the first time in sports history, women at the Commonwealth Games will win medals than men.
Ghana is represented by 13 disciplines at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The disciplines are Athletics, Boxing, Badminton, Cycling, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Hockey, Judo, Swimming, Weightlifting, Squash, Triathlon and Para Sports.
By Sammy Heywood Okine
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