Games all set for opening

New Delhi: About 7,000 men, women and children will dish out a show of India's cultural heritage in a the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony with the icing on the cake being Maestro A R Rahman's performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday evening, Oct 3, in New Delhi.
The opening ceremony which is divided into 6 sections: Rhythm of India, Swagatam, Tree of Knowledge, Yoga, Great Indian Journey and AR Rahman's rendition of the CWG anthem "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto" - in the nearly three-hour ceremony.

With most of the tickets already sold out, the ceremony, scheduled from 7 p m, will start with President Pratibha Patil and Britain's Prince Charles expected to declare the Games open in front of a packed stadium of 65,000 capacity.

The 619-member strong Indian contingent will be led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who will carry the Indian flag during the ceremony. Badminton star Saina Nehwal, Beijing Olympic Games bronze medalist boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar will be among the six who will carry the baton during the formal part of the pageant.

Tennis star Sania Mirza will skip the opening ceremony as the Hyederabadi ace has preferred to rest and PT Usha upset at not being invited to Games opening ceremony.

The guest panel will include International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennel, New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, Monaco's Prince Albert II and Presidents Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and Marcus Stephen of Nauru.

Although the country's high-water mark of 221 medals (84 gold, 69 silver and 68 bronze) at the 2006 Melbourne Games is unlikely to be surpassed in India, team officials expect another gold rush.

The sale of the tickets will start with immediate effect through the Central Bank of India and Hero Honda stores, CWG ticketing call center (1800-200-1294) as well as through the official website.