Kiwi team steal show at opening ceremony

12.00pm

MANCHESTER - New Zealand's Commonwealth Games team stole the show with a stirring haka directly in front of the Queen at a spectacular opening ceremony this morning (NZ time).

About 30 members of the team, led by sevens rugby player Bruce Reihana, broke away early in the march past, discarded their black jackets and launched into the haka to a huge ovation from the 38,000 capacity crowd.

It was largely drowned out by the pounding music but the impromptu act hit the mark in a largely informal march-past. It also got the royal seal of approval, with the Queen applauding and the Duke of Edinburgh waving to the haka group from the royal box.

Little more than half of New Zealand's contingent of 302, including 201 athletes, joined 71 other countries in the march-past, led by flagbearer and cyclist Sarah Ulmer.

The absentees included athletes who had impending competitions, including the entire gymnastics and diving teams, the women's hockey players who meet England tomorrow, several cyclists who are entered in Saturday's time trial, and swimmer Dean Kent who was troubled by a throat infection.

The City of Manchester Stadium lit up in spectacular style for the two-hour opening ceremony before a full house who paid up to £190 ($655) per ticket.

Manchester United soccer superstar David Beckham was the star attraction late in the ceremony when he helped terminally ill six-year-old Kirsty Howard, who has battled a rare heart condition, pass the baton to the Queen to officially open the Games.

The opening and closing ceremonies are costing £12 million and the opening set the scene for a hugely successful Games which has already sold 90 per cent of the 1 million tickets on offer.

More than 4000 performers and 1000 backstage crew put together the show which transformed the stadium into a giant nightclub to signify Manchester's self-proclaimed status as the party capital of Britain.

The music was led by British teen group S Club who welcomed the Queen into the stadium to a huge ovation. Solo artist Russell Watson, who toured New Zealand earlier in this year, also made an appearance.

The Queen's baton, which covered 24 nations and around 100,000km, was carried into the stadium by Canadian sprinting legend Donovan Bailey, Australian swimmer Susie O'Neill and Kenyan distance runner Moses Kiptanui.

While the festive mood prevailed in the stadium, security was tight with a strong presence of armed police outside.

Organisers also achieved something of a record for Commonwealth and Olympic Games by keeping the well choreographed ceremony running exactly on schedule.

- NZPA

Full coverage:
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