Famous faces, Birmingham icons, and powerful statements all feature at Alexander Stadium to officially open the Commonwealth Games.
Para table tennis player Kim Daybell was another popular baton bearer, the doctor put his sporting career on hold during the early stages of the COVID pandemic to work in England's publicly funded National Health Service.
Australia was the first team to enter the stadium in the Athletes Assembly, although many athletes opted to stay in their villages, while others ducked out of the venue once they had marched.Flagbearers Eddie Ockenden and Rachel Grinham looked joyous as they led the team out, with Ockenden turning to his teammates several times to pump them up and encourage them to join him at the front.
Tonga's legendary shirtless flagbearer Pita Taufatofua wasn't there, but a Samoan athlete tried to make up for it, producing his own iconic shirtless moment while dancing and revving up the crowd. Stella and The Dreamers, a group of young athletes from across the Commonwealth, were the central characters in the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony.
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