Doctor Who’s TARDIS and Nessie: the Commonwealth Games begin
Nina Kennedy and Tim Hodge were Australia’s flag and baton bearers, rubbing shoulders with the legendary Loch Ness monster to open the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games – brought to you by chief sponsor, the Victorian taxpayers – has been opened in spectacular fashion by King Charles and Queen Camilla, who surprised the sellout Hydro Stadium crowd by emerging from inside the Doctor Who travelling time TARDIS phone box.
In the intimate indoor setting – the first for a Games opening ceremony – the Scots showed much humour, and their partying personalities, on a time-limited, tight budget that was nonetheless charming and quite brilliant.
In a first, thousands of athletes and officials from 73 nations of the Commonwealth — the Ghanians were particularly colourful and the solo St Lucia athlete walked in to a huge roar — all entered early in the two-hour schedule and settled at floor level next a Celtic knot, surrounded by thistles and grasses.
Australia’s flag bearer, pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, and baton bearer, para swimmer Tim Hodge, led the Australian team, of which around 100 attended. Some took selfies in front of the royal box, videoed the procession and even carried some teammates on shoulders. They witnessed what organisers described as a “love letter to a city that has never stopped reinventing itself”.
This was a city of craft and graft, protests, humour and courage.
“This ceremony is born from the spirit of a city that is brave,’’ said the artistic director Tim Elliott.
There was no Kylie, as a Victorian Games may have featured, but Callum Beattie belted out “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” accompanied by sparkly unicorns and silver sequinned stars. There was the Loch Ness monster and bagpipes, of course. And a haunting rendition of The Proclaimers’ Scottish anthem I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), sung by Nina Nesbitt.
Australia’s swimmers and gymnasts watched the extravaganza on television from their hotel as they begin competing on the first day.
Another Australian Paralympian swimmer, Matt Levy, who has cerebral palsy* and a vision impairment, was honoured as one of the six international athletes selected to carry the Commonwealth flag into the arena. Levy has competed in five Paralympic Games from Athens in 2004 to Tokyo in 2020, winning 10 medals, three of them gold.
British prime minister Andy Burnham, in one of his first public duties since moving into 10 Downing Street on Monday, was one VIP, sitting next to Their Majesties.
George Black, the chairman of Glasgow 2026, pointedly said in his welcoming speech received with loud applause: "Athletes of the Commonwealth, welcome to Glasgow, welcome back to our city. A city built by people who believe that when something matters, you step forward. When the future of these Games was uncertain, Glasgow didn’t ask, ‘Can we?’ We asked, ‘When do we get started?’”
Sports-loving Governor-General Sam Mostyn dressed head to toe in Australian team kit, as chief cheerleader for the first three days of Commonwealth competition.
The president of Commonwealth Sport, Donald Rukare, asked the King to indulge him by wearing a Wallace tartan, reimagined in the colours of his home country, Uganda, “in tribute to the brave hearts of Glasgow and Scotland who stepped forward to host these Games. Thank you for everything you have done to bring us here”.
During the opening, it was the TARDIS that wowed the audience, as one of their greatest athletes, the hugely popular cyclist Sir Chris Hoy – who has stage four cancer – travelled with it to Nessie’s home in Loch Ness, Edinburgh Castle, the monumental horse head sculptures in Falkirk known as the Kelpies, and the Highlands during the Jurassic period, before picking up the special royal guests at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Their Majesties are fans of Doctor Who and both looked delighted when they arrived on the time machine inside the arena in a skit reminiscent* of Queen Elizabeth’s famous arrival at the London 2012 Olympics by skydiving out of a plane in a James Bond sequence.
Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips has pointed out that the two year time frame to stage these Commonwealth Games – already beginning on a high – shows “you don’t have time for lots of endless committee meetings and decisions and feasibility* studies. You’ve just got to get on and get it done”.
The Scots are pulling off a 10-day multi sports competition on an exceedingly restricted AUD$300 million budget, of which AUD $200 million came from the Victorian government as part of its cancellation fee.
Compare that to Birmingham 2022’s budget of AUD $1.5 billion and the 2014 Glasgow edition which cost AUD $1.08 billion. In all, Victoria spent $589 million on its bid, initial preparations and cancellation fee for nought, almost double of what Glasgow is outlaying for this Games-saving edition.
Officials have high hopes for the Australian team.
“We’ve come here with a very well-stated goal, and that is to win the most number of gold medals, the most number of overall medals here, and also have the most number of medallists in these games of any nation so we are the number one nation in the Commonwealth when it comes to performance,’’ said Mr Phillips.
The sporting action begins with the swimming on day one at Tollcross in a freshly retiled pool. Next Saturday the eagerly anticipated mile race will pit new world record holder Josh Kerr against Australia’s rising star Cam Myers on a newly laid track surface at Scotstoun Stadium.
Organisers anticipate that Glasgow’s hospitality and the sports competitions will reinvigorate* the Games for its centenary in India in four years’ time.
After the baton bearers – swimmer Hannah Miley, cyclist Neil Fachie and basketball Kieron Achara – had delivered the baton, the King opened the Games with a message about the environment.
And with Simple Minds appearing at the closing ceremony on August 2 with their biggest hits Don’t You (Forget About Me) and Alive and Kicking, the next 10 days promise to be quite memorable.
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POLL
GLOSSARY
- cerebral palsy: a physical condition involving permanent tightening of the muscles that is caused by damage to the brain around or before the time of birth
- reminiscent: recalling or making you remember a particular person, event, or thing
- feasibility: the possibility that something can be made, done, or achieved, or is reasonable
- reinvigorate: to make something stronger, or more exciting or successful again
EXTRA READING
What is the Commonwealth and how does it work?
QUICK QUIZ
- Who were Australia’s flag and baton bearers?
- Why did some Australian athletes watch the ceremony on TV in their rooms?
- What is the name of Scotland’s most famous mythical creature?
- How did King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at the ceremony?
- Of the $300 million budget for these Games, how much was paid for by Victorian taxpayers?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Why a unicorn?
A unicorn is the official Games mascot. Why do you think this mythical creature was chosen by Glasgow? Brainstorm as many ideas as you can. Then, use your research skills to find out why. Were you right? Write a paragraph explaining what you think about the choice of mascot.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
The Loch Ness monster, also known as Nessie, had a starring role in the ceremony. What do you know about the Loch Ness monster? Use your research skills to find out more about this creature. Use the information that you have found to create an infographic. Your topic is “Nessie: fact or fiction?”
Time: allow at least 45 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Communication Design
VCOP ACTIVITY
Walking in their shoes
The athletes that have headed over to the Commonwealth Games have been training tirelessly to represent Australia. Imagine how they must feel as their dreams of competing in the Games come true. It’s time to walk in their shoes and imagine what they must be thinking and feeling. Write a descriptive piece recounting your experiences. You may like to include: training in your chosen sport; being selected for the Commonwealth Games team; travelling to an exciting destination; life in Glasgow and the moments before, during and after your event.