Giant bull, Duran Duran steal the show at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
Prince Charles and a giant animal arrived in style, then musical icons stole the show at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The Commonwealth Games are officially underway.
The sporting extravaganza kicked off with an elaborate opening ceremony on Friday morning (AEST), captivating locals and attracting interest from TV viewers around the world as Birmingham put on a show.
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Prince Charles arrived in style, driving the same Aston Martin the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge famously left Buckingham Palace in on their wedding day.
Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, arrived together at the Alexander Stadium — drawing comparisons to James Bond and his famous Aston Martin.
The Prince of Wales drove his luxury, vintage car out onto the arena before a display where several motor vehicles combined to form a perfect Union Jack on the arena surface.
The ceremony celebrated aspects of Birmingham’s history and culture — which explains why a giant 10m tall mechanical “Raging Bull” waltzed into the stadium at one point. The Bull Ring is a major shopping district in the city, which also features a sculpture of a bull, while the mascot for these Commonwealth Games is Perry the Bull.
Female chain makers dragged the bull into the stadium, representing the chains used during the slave trade. The bull then broke free of those chains — symbolising the abolition of the slave trade and the 1910 wage strike that paved the way for women to break free from poverty.
The bull was then “tamed” by a performer and settled in the middle of the stadium, becoming a focal point of the entire ceremony.
Moment of the ceremony! Calming of the raging bull. How beautiful. #CWG2022
— Lavanya 🎙ï¸ðŸŽ¥ðŸ‘©ðŸ»â€ðŸ’» (@lav_narayanan) July 28, 2022
I’m actually loving that massive bull for the #OpeningCeremony#CommonwealthGames2022#Birmingham love how animated it is. Very cool bit of puppetry. #Bull#bullring#epic retweet if you love the bull 🙌ðŸ»ðŸ¤—🎉 pic.twitter.com/BpHbnrx64w
— Richard Price (@richard_price2) July 28, 2022
The bull sheds its armour to symbolise the famous strikes of 1910 when the chain makers went on strike for better conditions, earning a new minimum wage that doubled their earnings.
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) July 28, 2022
The collapsing bull represents the victory of the working classes over their employers. #B2022pic.twitter.com/EsRAW53Twj
It takes a lot to upstage a giant bull, but musical icons Duran Duran — whose career started in Birmingham — gave it a red hot crack at the end of proceedings.
Everyone inside the stadium was loving it, dancing along to the music as the famous British band produced a festival atmosphere with some classic tunes.
TV viewers went wild too, taking to social media to praise the veterans for ending things on a high note as they belted out fan favourites Save A Prayer, Planet Earth and Ordinary World.
Duran Duran â¤ï¸
— Mark Stevens (@StevoMedia) July 28, 2022
Comm Games just came to life.
Duran Duran absolutely stealing the show.
— Kieran Doody (@kierandoody) July 28, 2022
Duran Duran smashing it here tonight, magic stuff #CommonwealthGames
— Mark Newbold (@Prefect_Timing) July 28, 2022
Duran Duran to end the night … perfect #Birmingham2022
— Luke Dennehy (@LukeDennehy) July 28, 2022
Earlier in the ceremony, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who lives in Birmingham, addressed the audience and delivered a heartfelt message.
Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban as a teenager and delivered an inspiring speech about how the city helped her and welcomed her family.
“Birmingham, when I first came to this city I had never heard its name. But I would come to understand it through the doctors and nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Through the teachers who inspired me at school, helped my mother to learn English, and taught my little brothers to drive,” she said.
“Through the beautiful library of Birmingham, through the friends I have made, from my best friend Ellen, a lifelong Brummie, to the families who have come here from Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and beyond.
“Tonight teams from 72 countries and territories join the people of Birmingham to celebrate friendship across borders. The young athletes who will compete over the next two weeks represent millions of girls and boys across the Commonwealth.
“Our shared hope for the future. A future where every child can go to school. Where women can fully participate in society. Where families can live in peace and indeed in dignity.
“Over the next weeks as we watching credible athletes of the Commonwealth Games remember that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential and pursue their wildest dreams. And now it is my honour to say, welcome to Birmingham! Thank you.”
When the teams started making their entrance into the arena, Australia was first out of the gates, led by history-making flag bearers Eddie Ockenden and Rachael Grinham.
There were plenty of other entertaining moments to come out of the opening ceremony, which you can see in the photos below.
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