ANALYSIS: Forget about face masks: Birmingham embraces the 'free' Games
With a smooth roll of a lawn bowl along the crisp green, the sporting action of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games officially got underway.
And mercifully for the athletes, a positive COVID test doesn't rule them out of competing, although the Australian team has enforced stricter rules on its athletes than many others.Fans are coming out in force too, with ticket sales on track to make it the most attended edition of the Games in the UK.Australia is expected to clean up in the medal tally, so it's a smart move to try to get in early with the mantle of first medal of the Games.
Olympic champion and one of the all-time greats of the sport, Bermuda's Flora Duffy, lived up to the hype to win gold by a long stretch in the women's race. There were some suggestions there could be a sell-out at Edgbaston thanks to Birmingham's large Indian population, but it was a considerably smaller crowd that came along.Sisters Rebecca, Jessica, and Leah Gill turned out to watch India compete in the women's T20 cricket.
"It's been a great build-up, and to be able to play in the opening game is something I will certainly remember for a long time."
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