Memorable opening ceremony despite boycott, weather

Press, 26 July 1986, Page 30

Memorable opening ceremony despite boycott, weather

From

ROD DEW,

in Edinburgh

Grey skies and occasional brief showers failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands of school children, pipers, athletes and officials who helped make the opening ceremony of the XIII Commonwealth Games in the Meadowbank Stadium yesterday morning a memorable occasion.

A complex programme of two and a half hours with entertainment ranging from a visit by “Nessie” the Loch Ness monster and her family to a noisy beat-up of the stadium by aircraft from the Royal Navy and R.A.F. Strike Command, went off with barely a hitch. There was, however, a stark reminder of the boycott when the teams marched into the arena. The numbers totalled just 27, less than half the original entry of 58. Sadley, the flamboyant colour and spontaneity of the African and Caribean countries were missing and this certainly lessened the impact of the ceremony. Nevertheless, there was one very unexpected bright spot in relation to the boycott. Bermuda, complete with yellow Bermuda shorts which looked strangely out of place in the cool of a Scottish evening, marched into the stadium just ahead of the Scottish team and was greeted with a particularly rousing reception. The team had been withdrawn by its Government earlier in the day but after strong representations by the athletes it was reinstated in the games just half an hour before the start of the opening ceremony. Some 160 members of the New Zealand team took part in the march behind the flag-bearer, the rower, Stephanie Foster, and the general team manager, Mr Bruce Ullrich. Back in the tradi-

tional black blazer after recent deviations into other colours, the team looked particularly smart and received some of the largest cheers from the rather disappointingly small crowd of less than 20,000. “I felt we got a great reception, more than I have experienced anywhere else,” said Mr Ullrich afterwards. “I thought it all went off very well. We had a contingency plan for wet weather gear, but we wanted to show off our uniform to the full,” he said. Fortunately, the forecast rain held off for most of the ceremony and nobody suffered unduly from the cold. The march of teams was largely dominated by the five largest teams — Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand — and in spite of the absent friends it was a happy enough occasion. Team members all enjoyed their first official appearance in the stadium, and the crowd, many holding umbrellas, reacted with enthusiasm. During one brief shower, the Canadian team produced umbrellas — more than 300 of them — all featuring the maple leaf. A lighter moment came from the New Zealand team when the 200 m butterfly swimmer, Anthony Mosse, and the former New Zealand high jump champion, Terry Lomax, now a coach, held up their own New Zealand flag at the rear as they

passed in front of the main stand.

Fiji was one of the few teams to provide some traditional colour. It broke with tradition and had two women carrying its flag, both in national costume.

Four African countries were represented in the march, Botswana, - Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland. Not surprisingly, they were loudly welcomed. There were special cheers, too, for the tiny two-man team entered by the Falkland Islands — the smallest in the games. The greatest support, however, was reserved for the Scottish team, resplendent in sea blue kilts. Deafening applause greeted their arrival at the end of the procession, and continued throughout their march around the track.

. There was no doubt, either, about who was Scotland’s special hero. Allan Wells, the winner of the 100 m gold medal at the Brisbane Games, carried the Queen’s message on the final lap of its 1750-mlle journey through Great Britain from Buckingham Palace. His reception was overwhelming as he trotted around the brick red track and handed the message to the Duke of Edinburgh. And when he tried to leave quietly by a side exit, he was nearly mobbed by children who had earlier taken part in dancing.

Some 6500 children dressed in red, white and blue tracksuits took part

in a variety of dance routines, forming patterns prepared with the help of the 8.8.C.’s computer graphics department. Their youthful enthusiasm was infectious, but there was some mystery about the “fate” of the 2500 youngsters who sparked off the whole show when they set off from Edinburgh Castle, all waving flags of Commonwealth countries. They were supposed to run from the castle, down Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile, through Queen’s Park, and into the stadium.

Instead, a substitute group of children made an entrance a few minutes after the run had begun. It was never clear what happened to the children running the three kilometres from the castle. “Maybe they went the wrong way,” observed one visitor. The entertainment section of the ceremony was prepared by the 8.8. C. and, to its enormous credit, it did not produce a programme which was more suitable to television than to spectators in the stadium. There was also the usual release of thousands of coloured balloons. Towards the end, hundreds of cane baskets of pigeons were set free by children. Some were reluctant to take flight, in spite of the urgings of their young handlers, but In the end most of them took to the air in an expression of freedom which somehow seemed to ring a trifle false.