NZ provide only hiccup in Games opening

After a troubled build-up that only a fortnight ago cast serious doubt on the Delhi Commonwealth Games, it was the New Zealand team that caused the only hiccup during the opening ceremony today.

There was major confusion when New Zealand flag bearer Irene van Dyk looked to lead the team in the wrong direction.

Team members had started to follow the Silver Fern out of the stadium as she went to perform media interviews. They were quickly shepherded back into the arena.

Heady sights and sounds of exotic India were the theme of the night as the Games got underway.

Kiwis in action - Day 1

Among the spectrum of colours that lit up the Games' main venue, there was the black and white representing New Zealand's 290-plus contingent.

About 150 of the 191 New Zealand athletes who will compete at the Games over the next 11 days marched into Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

They were dressed in uniforms of all black offset by a white silk khata, or ceremonial scarf, symbolising peace, friendship and respect for the host nation.

The theme of New Zealand's participation at Delhi 2010 is the number 29,028, or the height in feet of Mt Everest, conquered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, and the khatas were gifts from the Hillary and Norgay families.

Van Dyk said the ceremony was the "most colourful, beautiful and well-organised games I have ever been part of".

"It was fantastic to walk in with the flag and know you've got the rest of the team behind you," she said.

Sprinter Monique Williams described the ceremony as "really awesome".

"I was so glad I could be part of it," she said.

"It was the most amazing feeling walking in with the New Zealand team and the show was really colourful."

Williams, who will run in the 200m, said the night had increase her anticipation at competing.

"It's got me quite excited," she said.

"Something like this has made the Games a reality."

While New Zealand went for understatement in uniform, trans-Tasman rivals Australia, also with a netballer - skipper Sharelle McMahon - carrying their flag, opted for bold hues, with different competitors wearing different colours.

England, meanwhile, paid tribute to their hosts by donning an outfit with Indian-inspired touches.

There was a warm welcome for all 71 participating countries, but the biggest cheer by far from the 60,000 spectators was reserved until last, when India made their entrance.

Unlike previous Games, when the athletes entered late in the programme, this time they came in early and were able to sit and watch the second half of the festivities.

New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie said the switch was aimed at putting athletes first.

"We pushed hard for a change in protocol and I'm delighted to say we were successful."

New Zealand's athletes were given a choice whether they wanted to be at the ceremony, and some whose events are early in the Games schedule opted to watch it on television in the village.

They included those competing in women's hockey, table tennis, swimming, badminton and track cycling.

The three-hour event showed off the intoxicating rhythms, diverse cultures and rich history of the world largest democracy and its more than one billion people.

The country's past and present mingled as classical performers and Bollywood dancers featured on the same bill.

There was also a tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, whose birth 141 years ago was marked yesterday by the annual Gandhi Day.

Prince Charles received the Queen's Baton, which had travelled 170,000km from London, before declaring the Games open.

The event was held under heavy security, with shops, road and markets closed beforehand.

A reported 100,000-strong security force, including 17,000 paramilitary troops, were stationed across Games venues, and fighter planes and helicopter gunships put on standby.

- NZPA and Herald online