The 1994 Commonwealth Games proudly brought to you by Coca-Cola, always good with sport, always Coca-Cola. Kellogg's Sustain, the official breakfast cereal of the Commonwealth Games team. And McDonald was this morning at Rest easy Australia for the wait is over. This is day one of the 15th Commonwealth Games coming to you live and exclusively through Network 10. And this is Victoria Canada. Not far on the map, not as the crow flies, yet somehow a world away from Vancouver hosts the city of the 1954 games. Four decades down the track, an empire now of Commonwealth. And we're rolling back into British Columbia, back for 11 days of splash, sprint and some old fashioned silliness. Fun. These gifted young athletes, the Kieran Perkins, the Hayley Lewis's, the Cathy Freemans, they congregate here not to learn about history, but to create it. Let them wait no longer. Today, the opening ceremony of the 15th Commonwealth Games. Good morning Australia and welcome to Victoria Canada for the 15th Commonwealth Games. It's just after four o'clock in the afternoon and like the scene behind me, another postcard day. Brilliant sunshine, little or no humidity and the finest athletes in the Commonwealth gathered before an international television audience tip to hit half a billion people. For the next 10 days, Network 10 Australia will keep you on the pace with the coverage incorporating 160 hours. From Centennial Stadium adjacent to us here at the International Broadcasting Centre, we welcome Anne Fulwood and Tim Webster. Tim, how does the atmosphere compare to that of say an Olympic Games or a football grand final? Well you can probably hear them Bill, good morning to you, good morning everyone at home. This crowd is really pumped up, they're practicing I think. We've got the wave going and a lot of clapping and cheering. Look, I think Billy, the difference is this is going to be a very peaceful, very harmonious and a spiritual thing once it gets underway rather than a very aggressive one that you'd find at the MCG or the football stadium. Well preparation as usual has been very secretive, but can you give us a clue just what to expect? No, I don't think we should do that Bill. Anne and I saw the dress rehearsal yesterday and there were a lot of gaps in it as you'd expect and we want everybody at home in Australia to see it along with us. We really didn't see the full show, but let me tell you it's going to be a mosaic of Canada that you're going to see, all its peoples and all its history and it's going to be just fantastic and these guys here behind me, Annie, are gearing up to get into it. Oh my goodness, it's actually giving me a rush of emotion much like I had yesterday Tim when I watched this preview of the opening ceremony. It is a spiritual and emotional moment, I think it's been the catch cry here in Victoria. It's an emotional city, they're full of spirit, they've been so happy to have the Commonwealth Games here in Victoria, Canada and they've been waiting for this moment for so long. You can hear the excitement, it's palpable, it's actually made us all a bit nervous and uptight up here in the box, but Norman May, you're a man who's an expert, you've been to nine, it's an emotional and a happy time in this magnificent city isn't it? What a wonderful atmosphere and this is a city gripped in games fever and when you look at what we've seen around here, just like being in Australia, wonderful conditions and what about the Australian team? Well they're in great shape, you know they finished off their final preparation with a typical Aussie barbecue and that's the way to do it. They've received hundreds and hundreds of messages from back home and they feel that they're representing the whole country and over the next week and a half you get to see a feast of magnificent television entertainment. I believe the record must go, Australia has a wonderful team, two world record holders in swimming, six Olympic medallists beside the gold medal of Kieran Perkins, a great cycling team, everything, it's all there, I reckon they can win 70 gold medals. In my opinion, we are great games, but more importantly, a very great games for Australia. You heard it from the expert ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much Norman May and as you saw on the screen a moment ago, that was the Australian team getting ready for the march around the Centennial Stadium here for the opening ceremony. And now I'd like to introduce you to a man who I don't think needs introduction, an international commentator who I'm sure we're all familiar with, Phil Liggett. Thanks Anne, well back in 1958 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, the Queen sent her message to the people of the Commonwealth in a baton and it went via 664 wrong distance relay athletes. Now since then, the Queen's baton relay has become a tradition and this year it all began in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace on March the 14th where the Queen handed the silver baton to Michael Smith, the Canadian decathlete and so started the long journey through eight Commonwealth nations before the baton itself finally arrived in Canada. The baton is solid silver designed by three artists from First Nations and engraved with the symbols of the frog, the raven, wolf and the young thunderbird and it completed its long journey here in Victoria this morning after travelling almost 100,000 kilometres. Today the Queen will read that message here in Centennial Stadium and I can promise you that will be one of the many highlights here in what is often a very highly charged and emotional opening ceremony as you'll find out with us after this break. A lot of people buy small cars to get around the city but if you buy the new Ford Festiva with its new fuel injected engine, you've got an escape hatch. New Ford Festiva, it's the escape hatch. The hair collection that world's leading hairdressers have come to admire could only come from one man, Vidal Sassoon. His international salons and teaching academies have been at the cutting edge of hair innovation for over 50 years. He's done it again, a professionally proven shampoo, conditioner and treatment that moisturise and protect hair from styling stress. Your hair is radiant, beautiful and bouncy. Now you can have this Sassoon hair experience every day. Imagine a phone that thinks it's a fax. Imagine a phone that thinks it's a laptop, which thinks it's a network. Imagine a phone that thinks it's a video. Imagine a phone company that goes. In the quest for Commonwealth gold, we're proud to be behind the Australian team and the Games Telecast. Here's to the golden dream from McDonald's Australia. Off to a good clean start, a fast move down the left, a surge from the right, right side for taking, a new winner, sensational run, this is Max Emerson, what a finish, what a winner. Of all the home loan options available today, there's one that really tips the balance in your favour. Metway Bank's Ready Access Home Loan lets you use any surplus funds to reduce the amount of your home loan, yet still have Ready Access to those funds using your checkbook, passbook or cash card. And for a limited time, Metway Bank is waiving all its upfront fees and charges. Ask about the Ready Access Home Loan from Metway Bank. We'd love to do business with you. If you're mad about Seinfeld, you're going to be mad about Tuesday nights. Faking what? Nobody's faking. At 7.30. Why do you have a fake? What? It's a brand new. And the guy never knows? He did not know that. You didn't know? Of Seinfeld. Give me another shot. I even have a Jerry Gage living. From the creators of Seinfeld. We'll have that. I really think we should have sex. The Emmy award winning Mad About You. Beginning Tuesday August 30, a top shelf comedy double. Seinfeld and Mad About You on 10. Welcome back everyone to this truly beautiful place, Victoria, Canada. You're going to see a lot of it over the next little while. And look at this scene here. Ladies and gentlemen, Here we go. We're going to start the opening ceremony. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. orchestral music playing Welcome to our island home In the joy of nature Welcome to our island home Welcome home Ladies and gentlemen, we now introduce you to the world's first island home Garden City, Canada, in home of the 1994 Garden Figs And to the stage, please welcome the chairman of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society The director of the Society of the Issues of the Commonwealth, Mr. John Ruffin And to the presence, please welcome Mr. George Keper The director of the Society of the Issues of the Commonwealth, Mr. George Keper And now entering the stadium, escorted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police And riders from Vancouver Island Pony Club, the officers of the Commonwealth Games Federation Accompanying the Royal Canadian Gendarmerie and the equestrian clubs of Vancouver Island Here are the officers of the Commonwealth Games Federation Mr. Charles De Rao, honorary legal advisor, conseiller juridique honoraire Dr. Jeffrey Hague, honorary medical advisor, conseiller médical honoraire H.E. Austin Seely, honorary treasurer, trésorier honoraire Honorable Charles M. Mucora, vice chairman David Dixon, honorary secretary, secrétaire honoraire Michael S. Fennell, vice chairman, vice-directeur Proud moment of course for all these people The Commonwealth Games finally coming to fruition After a lot of planning Mr. Barry Nye, president of the Commonwealth Games Association of Canada Alain Dauvier-Aussalais, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation Director of the Federation of the Issues of the Commonwealth And his Royal Highness, the Prince Edward President of the Commonwealth Games Federation It is quite a beautiful scene isn't it Tim? Absolutely It makes me think of him I think we've got a great cheer from the crowd there he is They loved them here when the Queen arrived earlier in the week They were very excited There were thousands of people who turned out in Victoria to see her and welcome her and Prince Philip to the island home And what about these guys? That is a postcard of Canada The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, you'll see more of them in just a moment And those carriages, although a little less ornate Annie, you can ride around the streets of Victoria being pulled by a beautiful Clydesdale It really is just a lovely place The carriage is actually a little bit of trivia here I call it vis-a-vis, which means face to face, I understand That's right, you can look at each other as you plop around They could not be happier with this day It is a sparkling Victoria day I'd say folks back home, it's probably in the mid-twenties There's a lovely breeze blowing off these magnificent mountains behind us And all the kids look great, the choir down the end there in the stadium all dressed in white It truly is a magnificent scene And I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are Because I've got a little heart palpitation going here because the expectation, I think that's the reason for that I don't know how Norman May feels, he's been to nine, this is my first And I must say that it is really a splendid occasion It is quite spectacular Norman's got a big smile on his face down there sitting next to Phil Liggett And he's enjoying it as well Music You'll note on the oval too the shapes of the flowers as we pass over that scene That is because Victoria, Vancouver Island, is a garden island Victoria is the garden city so flowers make up a lot of the theme of this opening ceremony The young children are the petal kids carrying all those shapes You can see the pony club kids there too along with the Mounties There's a couple of horses playing up But not as much as one did yesterday, it actually reared backwards on one of the kids But they're having a very proud moment taking part in this ceremony with the Mounties On the middle of the field there, can't quite see them yet But it must be a very fine moment indeed for those young people And you're about to see the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their musical ride You enjoy it with us Ladies and gentlemen, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride Ladies and gentlemen, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride Music I think they're doing this for Phil Liggett myself What do you think? Yes, especially for Phil He has more influence than we thought A decade ago, women were finally granted a little place in this musical ride There are 12 women in this contingent today And this is horsemanship at its best, let me tell you These are the descendants of the quarter horse that we know very well in Australia Named for their speed and their zip over the standing quarter mile And these ones, I should tell you, are specially bred for the musical ride At the Mounties remount detachment in Pakenham, in Ontario All are distinguished by a maple leaf pattern which is embossed on their rump I don't know whether we'll be able to see that But if you see them up close you can see it and they look just great Now this may look pretty easy to you folks But I know and all the equestrians back home know too, it's not They're very gifted riders indeed, control the mounts with their legs Barely touching the reins at all Simple pressure of the lower leg, no matter its noble bloodlines To do this kind of thing overnight is just not possible None of these horses is young, the youngest of them six And the oldest is a fella called Lucky who's rising 23 But today, and we don't know which one he is, he's bounding along like a spring foal They look great It is a spectacular dressage style performance isn't it? Oh absolutely fantastic The Royal Canadian Mounted Police as some of you may know Were originally introduced to cut off the whiskey runners Who were coming in from the deep south But they also had to protect not just the new settlers To Vancouver Island and Canada but the people of the First Nations as well And right from the very beginning of course The prerequisite for recruitment is fine horsemanship And certainly as you can see here today that is continuing You won't see any finer, look at that When I said simple dressage I suppose in terms of the dressage test you'd see at Olympic Games it's simple But let me tell you having tried to have a horse do any number of these manoeuvres it ain't simple I'll take your word for it Tim And then to do it in unison as these are, all of them It's worth a gold medal But then again these are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police you'd expected of them And they're getting a big hand in the crowd as well as you Fantastic I think we're riding along to Canada I think it's a happy song, the push bike song Yeah why not I'm sure that's why it's been chosen Yeah why not It's good, makes me feel good Yeah it does, I think everybody in this audience feels good today Yeah Isn't that terrific, look at that Does it make you feel like getting down there and getting on one of those horses this time Absolutely I'd love it, I'd just love it That's your scene I've never ridden quarter horses myself, I know how terrific they are They've just got the best temperament And as I say you control them really with just a little bit of pressure on the legs Look at that The crowd loves it The Royal Canadian Mounted Police As the flags go up right now though we're in Victoria Canada for the 15th Games Just gearing up for a showcase, 10 days, fun, friendliness and for some, fame Whether you think home loan rates are likely to come down or go up We've got the right home loan for you Suncorp have some of the lowest fixed rates in town So we've locked in for the next few years The low cap rate takes a big bite out of our loan in the first year For the Suncorp home loan that suits you best call 1311 55 now Suncorp certainly did more for us What daily exercise can you do with a spoon to stay healthy Daily exercise That's right Beats me I wish I had time for sport Sport An egg and spoon race Maybe not, but what about this I'm going to have to get a little bit of a break An egg and spoon race Maybe not, but what about this Weight lifting perhaps I don't think this will be enough to keep me fit Aerobics A bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes for breakfast provides 25% of your daily needs of vitamins B1, B2, Niacin and iron Now that's what I call a good workout Kellogg's Corn Flakes because the simple things in life are often the best Yeah, once you pop you can't stop The sights and sounds of the Commonwealth Games brought to you by Optus Beyond the Corn Qantas, the Australian airline, official airline of the 1994 Commonwealth Games AMP will always be there Music Welcome back to the Centennial Stadium here in Victoria, British Columbia This is the Commonwealth Games And in keeping with a deeply entrenched tradition of welcoming guests to their celebration we present you a Coast Silage This welcome ceremony represents one of the traditional methods by which the visiting nations are greeted to the lands of the Coast Silage people And it reflects the wisdom, the purity and strength of at least 20 generations of community interaction Music Represented here today are Vancouver Island's three First Nations The Coast Silage The Nuu-Chah-Nuu And the Kwa-Gluf In full ceremonial regalia today The Coast Silage are in the black or the red regalia with woolen headdresses The small wooden paddles that they carry as you may see indicate a warrior spirit The Nuu-Chah-Nuu delegation are wearing cedar bark capes They wear skirts and hats with fringe trimmed shawls and designs of orca wails And as you well know there are plenty of them around Victoria And with the Kwa-Gluf delegation Hereditary clan symbols are woven into the back of their blankets The Coast Silage singers carry drums depicting a Kawichan thunderbird based on a 1913 design Yes already we have a tremendous feel for this country of Canada Being a land with little history of hatred No persecution here, no genocide and the first British company to set up base The Hudson Bay, you'll remember them, who traded in furs Set the trend with the sign that hung over the front door Simply read, don't shoot the customers And as I look at those headdresses there Tim I'm just thinking with our rich spring racing carnival coming up There might be some inspiration for some fashion designer or fashion designer in the field perhaps from this headdress The headdresses worn by these Coast Silage youth were made by Stephen Sampson from the Chimanus tribe Which is one of the well known tribes here and Grace Horn of the Saanich tribe And it's an 80 year old design so it has a long tradition And in First Nations beliefs, which is the theme really of this opening ceremony today Transformation is an ongoing process There's a young baby there in a mother's arms It represents the movement from one state of mind and being to another And during their respective sacred seasons, activities such as songs and cleansing And public speaking have been passed down over 20 generations of ritual use Now I can't stress enough to you back home This marks the first time in history the Coast Salish have invited the other Vancouver Island First Nations to stand with them Chief Adam Dick In the words of CM Arnold Sylvester We have welcomed you through personal songs and regalia as a reflection of our length of time here We are more than pleased to welcome you in this way as a reflection of our respect for each other's heritage Our ancestors have always taught us to make our minds strong We have done so to welcome you here today This is the time for transformation and change This is a time of renewed powerful and respectful relations between others and between the natural and supernatural It is with great spirit pride I stand before you today speaking on behalf of the Coast Salish peoples We welcome the new Chanult of the West Coast, the Kwagyult of the northeast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia And each and every one of you to this, our traditional territory A very important part of any great deed such as this Our people acknowledge and invite individual dignitaries to witness the events taking place We would like to call upon His Excellency the Right Honorable Raymond J. Nettishan, Governor General of Canada, Gouverneur Général du Canada The Right Honorable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, Premier Ministre du Canada The Honorable David Lund, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Lieutenant Gouverneur de la Colombie Britannique The Honorable Mike Harcourt, Premier of British Columbia, Premier Ministre de la Colombie Britannique Chief William Hunt of the Kwagyult Nation de la Nation Kwagyult Chief Ambrose McQuinnock of the Nucha Nuit Nation de la Nation Nucha Nuit Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh And isn't this a special moment for the people of Canada Tim? They came out as I said in force in Victoria when the Queen arrived earlier in the week And it's a country that has fought so hard and successfully to remain a part of the Commonwealth Fending off the political and social approaches of the southern neighbour, the US of America, and that's one tough thing to fight off Yeah they're a big one to fight aren't they? A little short travail around Centennial Stadium will hardly worry Her Majesty's car, it's quite a spectacular machine isn't it Tim? Magnificent It's a 1939 McLaughlin Buick convertible with, wait for it, I don't know whether your car's done this many but this has done 350,000 kilometres Looks like it hasn't travelled one day What a beautiful machine yeah It's very fresh doesn't it? It is one of two cars commissioned in 1939 by General Motors for a Royal Tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I And then the car was used again when the Princess of Wales visited Expo 86 in Vancouver Beautiful, what a magnificent machine Isn't it wonderful? Yes she is And doesn't Queen Elizabeth look magnificent at this time? As always Now two gifts await her when she arrives in front of the dignitaries, she's going to receive a carved miniature traditional welcome figure in much the same way as the other dignitaries did a moment ago It will represent a talisman of peace and harmony and also a seating blanket just to make sure she's quite comfortable and they're both from the Coast Salish Nation Look at that motor car, Queen Elizabeth looking just terrific and obviously enjoying being here, why wouldn't you? Where else would she want to be on a day like today? Absolutely I'd say it's probably raining and cool in London I'd say that's indefinite Amongst the dignitaries of course is her son, His Royal Highness Prince Edward Presenters of gifts are Chief Philomena Alphonse, an elected chief from the Coast Salish Nation Presenters of gifts are Chief Philomena Alphonse, an elected chief from the Coast Salish Nation Audrey Salson and the chief Philomena Alphonse offer a pleasant visit to Her Majesty More than anyone else, it was Her Majesty who saved the 1986 games in Edinburgh, in Scotland when everything seemed to be falling apart around her from the financing of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell right on through It was Her Majesty who worked hardest, I remember it well, fronted almost every function day and night, shaking a million and one hands We all got sore necks just watching all of the people bow and curtsy in those days There are 34,500 people packed into this stadium preparing for a very special insight into, I assure you, a very special people The dignitaries have arrived on this day where no one could possibly be indignant And at home in Australia you're about to see the coming together of all of the peoples of this great nation of King's Island The coming together of all of the peoples of this great nation of Canada Transformation and continuation into the years to come I think of cities that never closed down From New York to Rome and old London town But no matter how far or how wide I row I still call Australia home I'm always traveling and I love being free And so I keep living the sun and the sea But my heart lies waiting there over the bone I still call Australia home All the suns and orders spinning round the world Away from their family and friends As the world gets colder and colder It's good to know where your journey ends I realize soon I'll always know I still call Australia home Welcome back, here we are at the 15th Commonwealth Games We're in Centennial Stadium watching the Maritime Forces Pacific Command, the Honor Guard Accompanied by the Air Command Band Now the Honor Guard's made up of 100 members of the crew of the HMCS provider Including men and women from three elements of the Canadian Forces They're commanded by Lieutenant Commander Charles M. Matt Very big day for him Yes, very big day for all of them Formed in the 1940s, 44 members And they're stationed at Winnipeg in Manitoba They perform around the world of course And are familiar to many of you, I'm sure I've seen them before, I can't quite remember where But I know I've seen them Well, the crowd loves them Ladies and gentlemen, the contrasts you're about to see today To set the stage for the ceremony feature The Big House to be performed by the Coast Salish And the contrasts are, believe me, extreme From the Canadian Mounties to the First Nations, from Her Majesty of course To the hooded local chiefs and their drums The distinguished naval officers leading their big bands It truly is a blend of time and times Of leaders and the faithful, those prepared to follow Right guard, front rigs, steady Left guard, front rigs, steady Right guard, fair rigs, steady Left guard, rear rigs, steady They're quite dignified about military performance, isn't they? Certainly it's near, and these guys are well-informed Please stand for the Royal Salute Mesdames et Messieurs, please rise for the Royal Salute The Crown of Honour, Royal Salute, present arms The Crown of Honour, Royal Salute, present arms Order, march! Order, march! Now the Lieutenant Commander will ask Queen Elizabeth to inspect his guard Of course, it's something Her Royal Highness has done on how many countless occasions can you just imagine The conditions chosen today are rather stunning, pastel number Beautiful hat Floran and the broad-rimmed hat that she so favours in these sorts of climates and conditions I think that she probably doesn't allow that beautiful English skid to get in the sun too often Like some of us in Australia are used to doing Yes So she has chosen well, I think, today Yes, it's a warm day, although there is a nice breeze blowing It's probably a little cooler up where we are We are, believe me, a long way above the stadium It's probably a little warm down there in the bowl Actually, for Royal Fashion Watchers, when Queen Elizabeth arrived in Victoria the other day Norman May tells me, I seem to have missed her, I think there were too many people But Norman May tells me, quite faithfully, that she was in a rather spectacular lime green dress When she arrived on the docks of Victoria in the Inner Harbour And a stunning colour that must have been, she would have stood out in the crowd there As she visited the Houses of Parliament and then hopped into a seaplane To fly off to a little retreat here in one of the many islands in the Straits of Georgia Speaking of seaplanes, all eyes will soon be skyward in both respect and recognition of the What I think, you heard it yesterday, is the truly magnificent national anthem of O Canada Of the more stirring and the flying snowbirds you'll see I'll tell you too much more about them because it might spoil the surprise Actually, the Queen, on an occasion like this, hasn't stopped to talk with troops But then perhaps one doesn't on such a ceremonial occasion as this She's got a happy smile here today, she's a long way from home And some of the troubles that have been surrounding the Royal Family over 1994 I think this is probably a welcome change By any standards she had a bad year, I'm sure in a quietest moment she'd agree with us And we know that she is a great supporter and a great lover of her Commonwealth Games She's a good one Forward! World salute! Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem Ladies and gentlemen, dear national anthem of Canada Present arms! Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee The next blockbuster from the creator of Jaws, ET, and Jurassic Park Will not be seen at a cinema near you Oh damn It will be seen on Channel 10 There are creatures down there that no one has ever seen, never even dreamed of The year 2018, and it's time for action She's after you Roy Scheider on a journey into the unknown She's after the Sequest Fighting a new breed of villain Sequest DSV soon With the new Bingo Extended Play Scratchit, your fun lasts longer About as long as your average disco track from the 70s Because each ticket has one, two, three, four games to play Which gives you 60, count them, 60 different ways to win up to $50,000 instantly So grab a Bingo Extended Play Scratchit today Your fun lasts longer Than your standard white satin flares What daily exercise can you do with a spoon to stay healthy? Daily exercise? That's right Bates me I wish I had time for sport Sport? An egg and spoon race? Maybe not, but what about this? Weight lifting, perhaps? I don't think this will be enough to keep me fit Aerobics? A bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes for breakfast provides 25% of your daily needs of vitamins B1, B2, Niacin and iron Now that's what I call a good work hour Kellogg's Corn Flakes, because the simple things in life are often the best Enter the Kellogg's Corn Flakes Red Zone where you will win one of $10 million worth of prizes There's a game piece in every pack Use it like this and a prize will be revealed Everyone's a winner in the Red Zone It's alright, don't worry about it Now what we're watching here is a demonstration of the demonstration sport for the Commonwealth Games However, this is not quite how you play lacrosse, field lacrosse It is a chosen sport of lots of young Canadians It's called bagattawe, which means little brother of war Or it's called lacrosse and it was first played by the Aboriginal peoples of Canada as part of a ceremony or religious rite The oldest known athletic game played in North America, would you believe? Fittingly, it's Canada's national sport But you'd probably have plenty of argument about that Because a lot of people argue that ice hockey is certainly the most popular in Canada Now this is not something to be bewildered by There is going to be a short game of lacrosse here in a moment But this is rather more choreographed for the effect, as you can see With the suitable sound effects of the throwing and catching as well, you can probably hear Sounds like a good volley and tennis, too It does, these kids are doing a beautiful job, aren't they? Beautiful job You know, the original equipment used was a wooden lacrosse stick Resembling a bishop's crozier, hence the word lacrosse or of the cross And native lacrosse was a brutal, very serious sport, and he played on a very large scale In larger games, the playing field had no boundaries at all And the players sometimes covered an area up to 20 kilometres And I'm told, not officially I should say, but quite dramatically, that balls were not always used In the very early days, it was apparently skulls that they passed around with their lacrosse sticks But we aren't using them today Here are the demonstration games I had friends who played this, and I used to think they were very brave Because that ball flies fast and head high Let me tell you, I've actually tried to play the horseback version of polo cross And it's almost impossible I can imagine Now they've choreographed these games, as you can probably see They've timed the goals on cue, which I'm sure some of the people who play this game would like Time your goals on cue Yes, as you can see, it's a combination of many sports, isn't it, really, when you think about it? Hockey, Gaelic football, they're all sort of intertwined Sure And I also noticed with interest, Tim, that why is it that the women aren't wearing protection and the men are? It's interesting I think probably because the men's game is very much more physical In the interest of being politically correct, I'm not going to answer that I guess the guys throw it a bit harder, I guess, is the reason for that Alright, I'll give you that one The women's game also doesn't have preset boundaries, apparently The two captains and the referee decide where out will be At the beginning of each game, depending on the surroundings in which the field is set As you can imagine, each goal counts for one point, one goal Yep I think that's pretty logical I would have thought, I thought in Australia when my friends used to play it, they were actually within a field And they played it almost on an oval, the size of a field or the size of a soccer field I'm sure that's probably the case Let me tell you, you'd have to be incredibly fit to play this And have very good reflexes Yeah, very fast moving game They're all getting in each other's way here, you've got to whack around the ear with a stick occasionally Oh, a flick over the shoulder, did we see him? Was I watching television then? That was a great goal score Give us the replay You might see a goal here There we are, that was your demonstration Alright now, for the mums and dads, the friends and the fans back home The athletes, very shortly, are about to hit Centennial Stadium For the first of these 10 days of competition All of the competing nations will be introduced to you by our expert commentators Norman May and Phil Liggett When they get out here, but at the moment You're seeing the end of this choreographed version of La Crosse These wonderful young Canadian people looking just absolutely fantastic Isn't it a thrill for them, look at them, they're so happy, they've spent days, weeks, months This isn't a big stadium by any means, only 35,000, but it's got a great atmosphere And I can't wait to see the athletes in here Can't wait to see our people, Cathy Freeman and Mel Gainesford, Damien Marsh I can't wait to see them around this track It is in a way, it's nicer in a way that it's smaller, it feels more intimate, it feels warmer It doesn't, yeah You feel a bit closer, there's a lovely sense of community here this afternoon Alright, away they go The young pedal kids are off the field for the time being because now is the time When all of the young people and some of them not so young who are competing for their countries Right around the Commonwealth get to come in here And enjoy one of the great moments in sport The athletes are about to come out so it's probably timely if we hand you over to Norman May and Phil Liggett Thank you very much and here we are waiting on this great occasion for the arrival of the team 64 out of a possible 67 are going to march There are 51 members of the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth as they call it these days That breaks down to 67 for these games The athletes of the 15th Commonwealth are accompanied by the arm-wrestling team of the Royal Roads Military College And the honour of leading this parade goes to New Zealand, the host country for last games in 1990 when it was Auckland And with me is the celebrated international cycling commentator Phil Liggett And Phil it appears that a cyclist plays a key role in this New Zealand team Well they do indeed Norman in fact they'll be led out the flag bearer will be Brian Fowler 31 years of age and a cyclist and in fact a winner of a gold and three silver medals his previous games A very emotional moment for him I think because he remember four years back when his father died so tragically during those games in Auckland His father a great supporter of cycling was cleaning at a cycling velodrome Nowhere near the facilities of the games a race started and he was struck and killed And Brian had to come out next day and go for gold in a road race he took silver The man that beat him his own teammate Graham Miller and they're both back now And there he is and as the New Zealand team comes round you should be interested now in Australia there was controversy in New Zealand about the team uniforms There were you know and almost they almost voted to actually drop the famous gold leaf on the black and white black and blue strip here black and white strip And you know Norman I'm glad they didn't because everybody knows this team is the All Blacks and we wouldn't it wouldn't be the same to see them without that uniform Well over in New Zealand they were so emotional about it there was almost a revolution over there and they would not change from the black and the silver fern Those are the official colours of New Zealand they said no to blue and green now the Australian team comes out number three on the parade After New Zealand we have in alphabetical order Antigua then Australia and you can judge these uniforms for the first time on television for yourself Now the New Zealand team will go right round the arena they'll be introduced at the top of the straight as they come down before Her Majesty the Queen There are 134 of them in competitors great chances include Daniel Loder the brilliant freestyle and butterfly swimmer And also Anna Simchik who won in backstroke four years ago in Auckland and a very great cyclist you'll know him Phil Gary Anderson Indeed eight medals in previous Commonwealth Games and also the first nation to ever parade in any Commonwealth Games with disabled athletes as part of their party Now the parade leaders are just reaching the southern end of the arena they come around there it's a fairly sharp turn around there and then down the straight and high pictures from the blimp up there in the clouds And also we have a marvellous camera which is remote controlled was taking shots looking down on every aspect of this opening ceremony And that's true Norman that's called a sky camera and when we get down to the arena for the track and field events we are going to see some sensational pictures out of that camera You can computerise it and it knows exactly where to go all by itself Very shortly Norman they won't need commentators in this job No they won't Anyway the New Zealand team about half way round the track now as we said in Auckland in 1950 or 1990 rather I'm going back to the first Auckland Games I'm getting a bit old for this sort of stuff but they don't go and stay on the arena they're going to march round and occupy some seating in front of the scoreboard And that leaves the whole arena clear for the great show which is going to come later on and very soon now you're going to hear the official introduction for the New Zealand team The Australian team we can see them already over on the far side of the ground and as far as I'm concerned from this distance Phil they look great I think they look very very appealing and we'll catch up with those very shortly Norman I think you'll all be very surprised at home Now notice here the New Zealand standard bearer that standard or the name bearer is the image of the white dove of peace And that's with all of the carriers they have that and it's a very effective signalism So New Zealand who put up such a marvellous occasion in Auckland it really was the most pleasant Commonwealth Games the Canadians knew then They had to do something very special to beat the pomp and occasion over there in New Zealand And the Kiwis came out and actually put up a tremendous performance athletically as well not least the cyclists I have to say Now let's see if we can pick up the official announcement it's coming very soon they mightn't do that but they will do it for the right remainder of the teams They're in the running straight now about another 50 or 60 metres they come past the Royal dais where her Magistrate Queen is waiting to receive And no doubt a way for all members of all teams repeating 64 countries are represented here out of a possible 67 The British Commonwealth started off in 1931 with just a handful and it's been joined year by year And then a few years ago we had Namibia become the last country to become part of the Commonwealth and then the re-entry of South Africa And what sort of a welcome of South Africa can I get again? I think that will be a very very emotional entry when South Africa come into this day Antigua and Barbuda Their flag being carried by Heather Samuel And there she is what a pretty picture she makes as well Only nine in the team including the one woman that is Heather Samuel the 200 metre runner and here's Australia The Australian team headed by Ian Hale the flag bearer He's 43 years old a skeet shooter you'll get a close-up of him soon and he's competing in his fifth games And behind the standard bearer we have there's Ian, it's a wonderful moment for him five Commonwealth Games That's an amazing performance Tremendous and what a great character he is as well And also out there is Marjorie Jackson the Lithgow Flash the general manager of the team Now here's your chance there she is there's Marge seven Commonwealth medals two Olympic gold medals The greatest athlete we've ever seen and here's a flashback to see her in action in Auckland in 1950 She's on the side and away she goes that's Marjorie Jackson and she beats Shirley Strickland and that's her gold medal to Australia So Marjorie Jackson comes back after 40 years where she retired in Vancouver in 1954 at the age of 22 And has she done a marvelous job I can tell you she has Phil She looks tremendously fit now she looks to take on some of these athletes right now Do you reckon she'll make the end of the straight without a tear or two? I've absolutely no doubt at all that she'll make the end of the straight but I'm not too sure about the tear or two It must be a really happy but emotional occasion for her today All right those of you in Australia here are the uniforms these are the women that's what they're wearing There is no indication of green and gold the men behind them you'll see they're coming through in a black blazer The women's team extremely enthusiastic and I'm delighted to say that in the front of the parade of those women They're like wheelchair athletes are there for Australia now here are the men that is the uniform the dark blazer with the light slacks It looks very very effective as far as we can see You'll be better judges of this at home watching on television because so many things are made these days specifically for television And that is the Australian uniform 230 143 men 87 women are hoping to be to their best ever tally of more than 50 gold 52 gold medals and I think they'll do that this year Now the car is coming I just might mention from the Australians that Kieran Perkins is not marching They're competing in the first day of competition Haley Lewis is not there Susie Arneal and Phil Rogers and also Kathy Watt And once again we see the Australians coming down and Marjorie Dixon isn't she getting a wonderful reception from this crowd Well the Australians I'm sure are hoping to excel in the cycling where they could win all of the medals So as the Australians complete their circuit here in Centennial Stadium the rest of the nations are still to come we'll take a break Technology is not the end of competition It nearly raises the bar one inch higher one second faster Technology is the mind pushing the limits of muscle It's a great new shoe David we have a confession you thought Sultana Bran just tasted good but it's healthy for you David It's healthy it gets worse Look 10% more fibre Sleep well You won't believe what I dreamt last night 10% more fibre makes Kellogg's Sultana Bran even healthier At Optus we place a high emphasis on training we don't believe in learning on the job so new recruits aren't allowed near customers for at least four weeks All that time is spent in training Learning all about the products offered by Optus and how the whole network operates Learning that we're not here to sell we're here to help We continually retrain and update our knowledge at Optus we believe if the training never stops neither will the service Because Australia's number one health fund is probably a lot less expensive than you think At the end of the day you'll feel even better And welcome back to the Centennial Stadium the opening ceremony of the 15 Commonwealth Games as we hear the announcement for Botswana The team of 35 the first of the African countries we're going to see and the interesting point about them is in the 35 there are 11 women Does that mean the emancipation of women in the African countries? Well it's not a bad guide bearer and I've got to say Norman you'll have to help me out in pronouncing the flag bearer's name here Well there are about 14 letters in his surname but I can say Madhubi the 26 year old light middle weight boxer he was the flag bearer and it's very good to see this Botswana of course have been in several games before this Now the British Virgin Islands this is the we're going right across from Africa to the Caribbean the group of 60 islands their second Commonwealth Games only Seven men, Celtic Clines the standard bearer, Longman Triple Jumper he goes to an American University as so many of them do Indeed in British Virgin Islands they all speak English and there are only seven men in this team all of them are men The flag bearer is Peter Cleen 19 years of age And Brunei this is the home of the richest man in the world the Sultan with his hand in the till Phil he's got his hand in the till he won't be here But his brother is that's Prince Haji and he's going to compete in shooting Southeast Asia of course and they're going very quickly the Cayman Islands we're talking about money that's the Banking Island where they all go and put their money in banks over there Only 11 competitors seven cyclists and four boxers Well 11 of them again all men and the flag bearer is Perry Merrin one of the seven cyclists indeed one of four cyclists who will carry the flag through various nations today There are 10 boxes the vast majority of course coming from track and field It seems the favorite style of dress here Phil is the blazer for the men and the light trousers but 14 competitors in the Pacific the Cook Islands Now that one of the men here Dan Kamana is a former captain minister and he's age 68 he is the oldest competitor in these games And there he is proudly carries the flag member of the bowls team and of course the bowls will have a very high profile here Now Cyprus I'm sure anybody who saw the games before in Auckland will never forget the man from Cyprus winning the triple jump And he's here today he's carrying the flag he's got a fairly long name too Haji Andrew I think it is the triple jump from Auckland and there he is another one a gold medalist for Cyprus And that was one of the great wins of the whole games four and a half years ago in Auckland The only gold medal they've won so far and the only decided you know Norman to compete in the Auckland Games just two days before that event began because he had actually I remember having an Achilles tendon injury Six only from Dominica the flag bearer is Sedley Harris over the 800 meters and behind them you see a flash of the red and white of England and up goes the pulse of Phil Liggett Two women and of the team here from Dominica the fifth Commonwealth Games they get to win a medal well you've got to start somewhere and let's hope it's this time out And the announcement of the huge team from England 258 competitors the second biggest team here 157 men 101 women and it's remarkable this contest between England and Australia in these games When they were first held in 1930 it was England 25 gold medals Australia 3 now the score stands at England 421 Australia 396 a difference of only 25 so for 13 games Phil the difference between the two countries has been three gold medals that's as good as the ashes Well you know it might it might swing home to Australia this year they could top the all time league table as it were but I have to say that a new uniforms here from England are very very attractive indeed George and the dragon design with cream trousers Everybody seems to have had ideas on changing how they appear at the Commonwealth Games this time around the flag bearer is Neil Thomas the gymnast who has turned out to be one of our very very best ever silver medals in the floor exercises the World Championships and hopeful now of getting a Commonwealth Games gold Now we mentioned before that the 51 members of the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth is really is called now break down as far as the United Kingdom is concerned to England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland the Channel Islands the Isle of Man and that way we get up to 67 countries for example North Island is not Australia it is coming on its own to compete in these games and it's going to be very interesting to see the team from Auckland Islands coming in behind England from one end of the world to the other and of course from one of the biggest teams to one of the smallest and Her Majesty the Queen just looking at England England walked before her and of course we'll be delighted when we see the great athletes like link with Christian Sally Gunnell in action in this stadium England's team occupying the whole length of this running straight on the back straight of course over on this side and they're moving through the men's and here's the Auckland Islands as we mentioned this Commonwealth Games in Brisbane 1982 like there there is Susan Whitney's not surprisingly a shooter in the football rifle competition because she probably learned that some years ago in the fourth and Holland War so there it is from the Commonwealth Games here the opening ceremony let's take a break before the rest of the teams come up Gunnell Well what do you think? Not too revealing. It's too revealing. To get into shape you know you have to eat less fat but did you know the Kellogg's special K breakfast is 99% fat free rich in protein calcium and iron but 99% fat free. I couldn't. Maybe. Of course I could. Kellogg's special K 99% fat free to keep you looking good. A lot of people buy small cars to get around the city. But if you buy the new Ford Festiva with its new fuel injected engine you've got an escape hatch new Ford Festiva is the escape hatch the 1994 Commonwealth Games proudly brought to you by Qantas the Australian airline official airline of the 1994 Commonwealth Games. And for all your finance and insurance needs Suncorp does more for you. And back at the Centennial Stadium. We're halfway through the teams and we see Iana coming in. One of the Caribbean countries. Flag bearer is the boxer Gary Sinclair. Ten games they've been actually they competed in the first games way back in 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario, and they've competed in ten games throughout I presume the problem may have been financial, but they've been one of the instigators of these games for a long time. And Terrence Poole, the super heavyweight boxer is carrying your honors flag. What a happy teenager Gary Sinclair the bantamweight boxer I suspect is the best chance of a medal just 20 years of age. It's going to be a really nostalgic moment for many people in the Commonwealth movement. The signal of Hong Kong is joining the parade for the very last time in 1997 Hong Kong will be seated back to China. They can compete in the future in the Olympic Games, and this will be their last Commonwealth Games. 53 of them 28 men 25 women the standard bearer is Chi Choi Chan, a gold in badminton in 1990. That's right in the mixed doubles in Auckland and now a national coach of that sport. This time around the medal chances well I think Mark Mahon, the silver medalist the men's individual bowls in Auckland will have a really great chance. And also Gilbert Yu in the pistol shooting. India, Hong Kong to India, the largest population of all the Commonwealth around about 815 million of them, and the population of India increases annually by about 17 and a half thousand that's the total population of Australia. That standard bearer of the team of 40 here, they did very well in lightweight weightlifting. Sharma is their standard bearer. In fact in the light divisions in lightweight weightlifting or wrestling and things like that they do very well. And other chances perhaps Norman 41 year old Ashok Pandit in the men's centre five pistol he's the defending champion from Auckland, but he can expect one of his rivals to be his own teammate, Jasper Rana just 18 let's go to the Isle of Man, the small little island about 50 miles off the northwest coast of England. Can you remember 1966 Phil, one of the most exciting things I think I've ever seen in the Commonwealth Games when a cyclist called Peter Buckley won the road race. I used to race alongside him and sadly Peter died in a very bizarre accident when a dog ran in the road some months later and he was killed in a crash. But you know Peter Buckley still remains the Isle of Man's only gold medalist, and we could have another one if things break well this weekend. Marie Purvis represents the Isle of Man, a very fast wheel in the women's event. Let's go to Jamaica. Island in the sun, most of the Commonwealth Games in 1966 in their traditional yellow and gold uniforms, 59 of them, 38 men, 20 women. John Mayer, a sprinter is the standard bearer, but Merlene Ottey, their great sprinter is not competing. John Mayer himself can run a 10.18 for the 100 metres, a little bit slower perhaps than Linford Christie but not by very much. But the first famous athlete I would believe of all the years down Jamaica would be Don Quarry, a wonderful man, won the sprint three times and back to the Channel Islands to Jersey. As I said Jersey and Jersey compete separately. Colin Mallett is the flag bearer here, the shooting gold medalist from Auckland and he's the only one from Jersey ever to win a gold medal. Absolutely and Colin's father Clifford, well he finished sixth in that very same event so I guess he had to buy the champagne that night. 18 from Jersey, 12 men and 6 women and I think a feature of the parade so far Bill is the increase in the number of women competitors. Yes. So the athletes as they go around the stadium, they will file into their allotted seats to keep the arena clear. Kenya. As we move on to Kenya, total of 93 medals they've won in six Commonwealth Games and not surprisingly because they're so good at it, 61 have come in athletics and the rest all in boxing. Yes, 80 of them here but one surprising thing, many of their champion runners didn't get back home to Nairobi in time for their titles to get selected for this team and there's several very promising youngsters. The flag bearer, Ranibus Kinyo, 400 metres hurdler in his second Commonwealth Games, now 33, a civil servant and enjoys watching football as well. And that we might mention the six functional racers, the athletes on wheelchairs, there will be two of them in swimming, a couple in bowls, I think a couple in athletics including a wheelchair race which is very, very interesting and I think they add a new dimension to the Games. Taking part in the very, very theme of these friendly Games, competing everything. Les Soto. Now how do we say this Bill, I'm never quite sure. Les Soto, it's surrounded wholly by South Africa, a country over these last couple of years that I've come to know very well and now it's marvellous to see these countries marching here today. Competing in four Commonwealth Games, Les Soto, they were not involved with the controversy that surrounded the country that surrounds it and they've yet to win a medal. There are only ten competitors there and I can count a lot more than ten there. The old story, you have many officials you can get here to come and see the Games and do something there. Malawi. On to Malawi. Malawi is another landlocked African state. It is East African state indeed and they've been here ever since 1977. Competitors, all men. A flag wearer here, John Mathwea, a marathon runner. The only member of the team by the way has previously been to a Commonwealth Games so he can tell the rest how to do it. And they'll participate in three sports, shooting, boxing and athletics. I think it's appropriate we complete this group of countries to the host for the next Games in 1998. Kuala Lumpur, the country of Malaysia, 51, their largest ever team, 37 men, 14 women. And of course in those Games it's been announced already that sports like cricket and rugby, seven-a-side rugby will be included. The flag bearer is Rashid Siddique, the Badminton gold medal who came from Auckland in 1990. And we'll see much more of them in the next four years and they'll be host to those Games which were the 16th Commonwealth Games. They've got the medal chances here very much in the badminton competitions. In the quest for Commonwealth gold, we're proud to be behind the Australian team and the Games telecast. Here's to the golden dream from McDonald's Australia. All the best Cathy. Here's your tracksuit. Our Commonwealth Games team has known for some time the secret... Your blazer. ...to longer lasting energy. Well now it's official. Kellogg's Sustained is the official breakfast cereal of our Commonwealth Games team. A scientific balance of crisp natural grains, delicious fruits and sliced almonds. 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This is my life you are playing with. ...television at its most sensational... Your finished port. Tuesday, August 30, the premiere. Models, Inc. Welcome once again to the Centennial Stadium here in Victoria, British Columbia. The opening ceremony of the 15th Commonwealth Games and that's the team from once about a very small team. Not many there. And only two of them. And I think we have what? One man, one woman. No, they're both in fact male athletes, Mr. Norman. They must be officials. Yes, indeed. Along with the Maldives, they are the smallest competing countries. Namibia. Namibia. Now the last country to join the Commonwealth was Namibia, formerly South West Africa. There are 61 of them. That's quite a big team. Obviously, it's their first games. The standard bearer is Frankie Frederick, a dual Olympic silver medallist and the world 200m champion. So he's a very talented athlete. This is one of the world's newest states as well as being the newest addition to the family here because they gained their independence from South Africa the same year as the Auckland Games in 1990. I should imagine there's been some great competitive scraps too to make the first team and set a little piece of history in these games. Elizabeth Mungudi, 23, she's a 3,000m runner and she'll be competing here and she carries the flag. Now who? Now Nauru from the Pacific Ocean. Only three of them, two weightlifters and one athlete. And the flag bearer, Marcus Stevenson, a gold medallist from Auckland. And that is a remarkable performance that a country that only sends three to the Games can turn up with a gold medal. A formidable achievement. Quite a lonely sight down on the stadium at the moment. Marcus Steven, a weightlifter, took that gold medal, carried the flag. Now the largest of the African countries with something like 88 million people. They have a big team of 80, 62 men and 18 women. And here they have a flag bearer. Nigeria. They don't tell us who he is. Let's see if we can find that from somewhere else. We have... no. He's incognito. This is the one name that we were never given of all of the teams. This great country of Nigeria. There's one name though, a field that I think will be well and truly remembered from these games. Mary Onyali. 100 and 200 metres. She could be the favourite to win the gold medals there with the absence of Merlene Otte. Of course she would be opposed to the Australians, Cathy Freeman and Melinda Gainsford. But they have some great athletes in history and in the present. They've got two in fact who are inside 10 seconds for the 100 metres. Daniel Effiong and Olapeed Edeneken. And that should give them for Christy perhaps a sleepless night or two this week. We're now about two thirds of the way through the parade. Remember that the last country to enter the arena will be Canada. And again we mentioned the athletes on wheelchairs who are taking part in these games for the first time. And now North Garland, the smallest of all the Commonwealth countries with a population of only about 2300. 15 of them, 8 men, 7 women. Bill Adam the bowler is carrying the flag. A direct descendant of the bounty crew members. And in fact most of these teams have some association with Fletcher Christian, Captain Bly and maybe Errol Flynn. Perhaps. I've seen all of those films. Well apparently the lawn bowler Bill Adams is a direct descendant from the crew of the mutiny on the bounty. He is the great, great, great grandson of John Adams who is the last of the HMS bounty mutineers. And he carries the flag today. Carmen Anderson, a lawn bowler, double gold medallist in the Pacific Championships in both 91 and 93. She'd like to make it a Commonwealth Games goal this next week. Now Northern Ireland, and I always feel a touch of sadness when the Northern Irish team comes in. They have their troubles over there. So we've seen the green of Norfolk Island and now the green of Northern Ireland. This is a big team, 92 of them, 71 men, 21 women. Standard bearer is a 1986 gold medallist in bowls, Margaret Johnston. She also got a bronze medal in 1990 so she's here again. Keep her medal tally up on the sideboard at home. When they receive their gold medals, and there's Margaret, they march, they have the London Derriere played, Danny Boy, and it is probably the saddest of all of the national anthems. And you'll hear each country has a specific anthem in these games. We hear Land of Hope and Glory for England, for example. Land of My Fathers for Wales, Advanced Australia Fair, God Defend New Zealand, O Canada. And the national anthem of the Commonwealth, the Queen's national anthem, that's God Save the Queen, is only played at the ceremonies. The Queen is informal at every other part of the games when she goes to venues. So a big team, Northern Ireland. I can remember the marvelous occasion, 86, when the cyclists won their first ever medal, a bronze it was in the team time trial. They'll be out again this weekend hoping to repeat or better that feat. They'll have a tough job. I think their greatest ever athlete was Mary Peters. Remember the Heptathlon of the old days and converted to the Heptathlon. But now Pakistan, another large country from the general Asian area. Not a big representation here, just a cricket team plus about two or three others. I can't see Imran Khan out there or Waka Yunus or any of those out there, but they'll be pretty good athletes. It's not a country to pick a fight with because of their 44 medals, they've won 31 of them in wrestling. Samy Dnyer, the current manager of the boxing team, is the flag wearer. He won a bronze medal back in those very pleasant games in Edinburgh in 1970. And now our Northern neighbors in the spectacular uniform of Papua New Guinea. And really this is enormous. It's marvelous to see them here. Beautiful, colorful nation. They are in fact 29 in total, 19 men and 10 women. Didn't their flag bearer, Aguia Tau, win the bowls in 1990? I think she did. She did. And she's the current champion. And I'm sure she'll be quite a colorful character out there on the greens at one of the three stadiums. Scotland the Brave in their traditional blue uniforms. And aren't they getting a marvelous reception? We're just looking over here to see if we can see Canada. I think it's getting close to the time that they'll come into the arena. And I think they've made an entry over on the far side, have they? And I don't quite get that from one of the larger teams. The raw is going to lift the roof, if there was a roof, off this stadium. Bonnie Scotland. The blue of Scotland. Games of 1970 and 1986. Yvonne Murray, silver medalist over 3,000 meters in Helsinki. She'll go for the 10,000 for the first time here. I think the raw there, the welcome that you can hear is for South Africa. That's what it would be. If South Africa can come in, we'll meet them in just a minute or so. I suggest you don't go away from your television receiver because this will be a wonderful occasion. So anyway, we'll stay with the teams on the straight. We're with Scotland. They have that great bowler. Women's, World's and Triple Four's champion. World champion who's there, a shooter, Alastair Allen. Two gold, two silver and two bronze in the Commonwealth Games. It was a fantastic record. Blue's of Scotland. It's not that cold out there, Phil, but I suppose in Scotland you have to wear a sweater anytime, don't you? I bet they're cashmere. I'm sure they are. I was in Scotland just six days ago. Although the sun was shining, it was a little bit chilly up in Aberdeen. Seychelles from the Indian Ocean. Seychelles with a very small team, only nine of them. And again, a very spectacular uniform. A dramatic island, though, but I'd love to go in the Indian Ocean. 700 miles northeast of Madagascar, then on to Sierra Leone as well, which actually means the Lion Mountain, situated off the west coast of Africa. And you notice that information, Seychelles, it says team uniform to be decided. Well, I'm glad they made the decision, because they could have gone around with nothing on. Now, Singapore. Singapore coming through now. And not long. I can tell you a couple of teams before South Africa will be appearing on television. Seven from Singapore, flagged by Hosni Muhammad, four men and three women. Solomon Islands in Selma. Solomon Islands, a team of four, all boxers. And when did they arrive in Victoria, BC? Fourteen hours ago. Last night. Well, I'll tell you, they've got a little bit of catching up to do on the old jet lag. It takes two or three days. The boxer, Joseph Samai, is carrying the flag. He fights in the heavyweight division. I don't think we could argue with that. And he's the team's most experienced competitor as well. Well, it's getting close now. On behalf of the people of the British Commonwealth of Nations, South Africa. Here it is. South Africa. And listen to this. South Africa. They last competed in 1958. Thirty-six years ago. Thirty-six years. And they're back. And what a wonderful occasion this is, with a team of 112. A big team. They mightn't be a great force in these games, and everybody's standing. But they're getting a standing ovation. The flag bearer, Heise Kielsepeng, is 20 years of age. She's done her best time at 800 meters of 1.4532. A very, very proud moment. The new flag of South Africa. Medal chances well. You never know. Elena Meyer, 1992 Olympic 10,000 meters silver medalist. Might go up a notch. We've got the Commonwealth pole vaults record holder here, Ochard Ritz. He's done 5.85 meters and is 21 in five days' time. A gold medal. He'll remember his 21st forever. And you know, if we look for a surprise, go for Willie Engelrecht in the cycling road race. Her Majesty the Queen looks on to the latest rejoiner of the Commonwealth, South Africa. In 1954 and 58, they finished third in the list of competing countries. They are very competitive. They might not be a great force in these games, but you see what they did in cricket, what they do in their return to rugby union. It won't be long before South Africa are right up there in the medal tally. Despite the fact they've been away for an awful long time, they still rank high in the league table. Let's move on to Sri Lanka. Formerly Ceylon, of course, off the coast of India. It's been known as Sri Lanka now for 22 years. They've got a team of 17, 13 men and four women. And their flag bearer is Colonel Laxman Ranjansin, a small-gore rifle marksman, and also the captain of the team. I guess with all that, you've got to carry the flag. Well, we've got a series of small teams now coming in, and they're going to be followed. And this is kits first of all. They're going to be followed by the largest team of all, and that is Canada. 400 of them, 400 representing Canada. And they're going to enter the stadium on the far side behind this group of small teams. And you heard the roar for South Africa, all back Canada, and even money to put the meter over the top. Well, I think somehow you might be right. This is St. Kitts flag bearer, by the way, there we saw briefly. There's Bernice Morton. She's an athlete, and she'll take part in the 100 and 200 meters events. And she only started competing in athletics three years ago, so we wish her well. St. Lucia. St. Lucia. St. Lucia, 11 athletes, as I said, this group of small teams, only a handful for the next six or seven teams. They're still looking across to see this huge contingent of Canada, and it won't be long. St. Lucia, one of the Windward Islands, their fourth Commonwealth Games. Yet to win a medal. The fella on the right there looked like A.J. Simpson. He couldn't be here, could he? That's for certain he couldn't. There's other things on his mind right now. So, stands away to our right, as the athletes walk towards them, are beginning to pull up. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, six Commonwealth Games, just one gold medalist in their history. The flag bearer here is Eswold Coombs, who is a 200 meter runner with a personal best of 20.9. And also in the 400 meters, he's done 46.35. They go back towards Swaziland, making its way slowly around to parade before Her Majesty the Queen, who is enjoying the spectacle. One of the events she holds very dear to her heart. And that's looking back up the straight, you can see there's temporary seating here to fit in the crowd of 35,000. And there's nowhere to be seen in the public area where there's a vacant seat. We're down to the S's now, not long to go. Now in Swaziland, only 14 of them. And it's very interesting here, the standard bearer is a young man called Gary Hoare, and he is a swimmer. And isn't it good to see an African swimmer in the pool? Superb. You should know more about this than me, Norman, in the 50 meter, 100 meter freestyle, as well as the 100 meter backstroke. And when you look down at these uniforms, Norman, I think we're rather lucky, it's very pleasantly warm here today. Yes, it's not that cold, it's probably round about now with a little bit of overcast, round about 18 or 20 degrees. But I'd say perfect conditions for an opening ceremony. And before this enthusiastic crowd, how did you feel cold? Absolutely. Tanzania, six only from there, African country, six only competitors, I mean. There are a few officials there as well. And for the start, Mara Selle, a boxer, a fighter in the light heavyweight division, 24 years of age, just one woman on the team. Won 13 medals at the Games, nine of them coming in athletics, they're marvelous athletes, and four in boxing. Phil Budweiser, of course, is the most famous Commonwealth champion, locked nearly a second off the world record when he won the 1500 meters in Christchurch, New Zealand, 20 years ago. Only 10 from Tonga as far as competitors go. I once saw them beat Australia in rugby union, Phil. It doesn't happen very often these days, as we have told the New Zealanders quite often. And remind them again this week, I believe. Another bright red blazer. Very, very formal uniform, but extremely nice. They're actually, the skirt overlaid there with a woven, known as a toa bala. That is the exact color of their rugby uniform. In the straight, and the queen. Twins of the good teams, 25 of them from the Caribbean. And a good runner here. He was fourth in Barcelona, I think. Ian Morris, he is. And let's not forget that one of the top medal cyclists will be the really nice guy, Gene Samuel. He's now 34, a cyclist. He was fourth in the Seoul Olympic Games back in 1988. He's a kilometer rider, and a great character as well. They'll compete in six sports while they're here. Athletics, babble, boxing as well as cycling, shooting, and of course swimming. I'm counting round the arena. Uganda. And behind Uganda I can see one, two, three, four teams. That takes us through down to Zambia, then to Zimbabwe, and they're followed by Canada. So there's only one more team to enter the arena, and then you're going to hear the roar to end all roars at Victoria, British Columbia. And when you put two years of preparation into a game like this, the host country deserves the biggest cheer. Uganda here, the flag bearer is Fred Mutawaita, 24, a bantamweight boxer. One of the ten boxers carrying the flags today, the All-African champion in the year of the Auckland Games in 1990. Vanuatu, Port Vila of course, a very great place to visit, a wonderful holiday area there. We have a very small team of Vanuatu, just a two-man team, one man, one woman, both of them athletes. Mary Estelle Capullo, she's 28, she's carrying the flag, she'll compete in the 400 metres and the 400 metres. Wales, the largest of the teams, lighten the alphabetical order, and there's the roar starting for the Canadians, it might be long now. Up there, the men of Harlech, on to glory. It's only six miles from where I come from, we built castles that keep the Welsh out in the old days, but now we welcome them in. Flag bearer is Kevin McCormack, the super heavyweight boxer, he's here in his third consecutive game, he's a Royal Marine, HMS Nelson in Portsmouth. A bit of showmanship here, they're holding up, here's the Canadian flag, it's coming into the arena. The Canadian flag, I can see it from here, and O Canada. And there it is. And the flag bearer is Angela Chalmers, and what a very special lady she is. She has a Scottish father and a Sioux mother, and she speaks three languages. Apart from the First Nations language, she also speaks fluently the two national languages here of Canada, French and English. Double Commonwealth Games, a gold medallist four years ago, in the 1500 and the 3000 metres. Olympic bronze medallist over 3000 metres, she'll be striking gold again here. This is the largest team of any in the Games, just on 400 of them, 375 are marching today. There are 280 competitors, they're going through the permanent grandstand here over on the far side now. We haven't seen the teams pouring in, and still they come in. They've won about 100 metres and still they come, and in traditionally in the red and white of the fight for leave of Canada. Well, we've seen the courtesy of Jacques Lemaire, a marvellous opening ceremony so far. There's still a lot more of that to come, by the way, once the athletes have taken their seats here in the stands. We're now seeing this superb team, they are filing into the stadium here, and they must be queuing right down the highway outside of the stadium still to come in. They're going to win gold medals in a lot of events, but I really feel that they have some big chances. Even though Bruni Surin, their 100 metre athletes, they thought at one stage he would be out of the hunt, but he's got over that knee injury. He's going to push, in fact, the Now back to Western Samoa, over on this side of the stadium. Quite a big team from Western Samoa, we've just had their rugby team in Australia. Australia, of course, scored a marvellous win, 73-3, and the captain said, I don't think the airline's going to fly us back home. Anyway, they're flying over the Commonwealth Games team here, and it's great to see them again. Beautifully attired, aren't they? Well, they are superb, and here we have again another boxer carrying the flag, Emilio Letti, 29. He won bronze in the last Commonwealth Games, he's currently, by the way, the Oceania champion. All the Samoans are blowing his shell there. Traditional music. And as we expected, traditional Samoans are leading their team here as they go through the stadium. Now after the Samoans, we have only three teams left on the arena, so we've seen 61 of the 64 teams. We have Zambia, Zimbabwe, and then of course Canada. So Zambia, a team of 25 of them. 17 men, 8 women, traditional green blazers for Zambia. It's a beautiful country in Africa itself, basically very, very flat. A country where we expect medal chances like to come from Samuel Mateti, the world 400m hurdles champion in 1991, and in Stuttgart, the world champions last year, he took silver medal, and he holds the Commonwealth Games record at 47.1 seconds. Now Zimbabwe, of course, will be involved in Australia this year. They're coming for the cricket season along with England, and Australia, of course, playing two teams. Oh, I think Tracy Cocksmith might take the vote as the prettiest. She's 28 years of age, carrying the flag there. She won a silver medal in the women's one-meter diving four years ago, and coached by her father, Jeff, who's also here with her in Victoria. Third Commonwealth Games in Zimbabwe, and overall they've netted just four medals. Now the public have been asked to keep their main cheer for the official announcement of each team, and the next team to be announced will be Canada. The official announcement of each team will be Canada. Wave salute to the athletes who have yet to complete, compete. Wave salute to the country who has now begun its Commonwealth Games in the 15th edition. 280 competitors with over 400 on the team. They now fill a quarter of the athletics track here in Centennial, in the Centennial Stadium. They have a remarkable history in the Commonwealth Games Canada. Of course, the first country in 1930 was Hamilton, in Canada. But at one stage they fell right down to one gold medal. This was around the 50s. And sport was not part of their education program in schools. It was then brought into the English schools and then later French-Canadian schools. And then by the time it got to 1978, they won a record 45 gold medals when the games were held in Edmonton. And since then, they've been one of the top three countries along with England and Australia. Now what will this be? Will Victoria be another Edmonton? Will the Canadians surprise us with what they do? They don't seem to have the strength in swimming. I know they're going to be good in wrestling. I know they're going to be good in gymnastics. But when you have your own country, your own crowd in front of you, you'll always seem to do better. Absolutely. And with Tonya Dubnikov, the young lady who surprised, only just started cycling and landed the World Spring Crown, she'll enjoy the velodrome here, I'm sure of that. But the Canadians have come here to enjoy themselves today and I think they'll continue enjoying themselves until these games close. Bill, I'm just standing up here looking over the balcony and the welcome they're getting is absolutely amazing. The people are waving and yelling and stamping and the Canadians are now occupying the whole length of the straight and they're throwing, it looks like frisbees up into the crowd. That's typical Canadian stuff. They do that quite often and the crowd are really giving them a huge welcome. That has been a very good Commonwealth Games parade, Bill, a very good one. Hi, Mom and Dad. Well, I'll tell you, this is the country which has the biggest landmass but of course not the biggest population. Canada is uninhabited, many of the islands here are too. It is the most spectacular country to visit. And they're going to come out and they're going to do their very, very best. Chris Wilson, 26-year-old bronze medalist in the 68-kilogram division in the World Wrestling Championships last year. He'll get his chance this time out in the Commonwealth Games as well. Now the Canadian team is moving down into the back straight or on the far side there. They go into an area in front of the big scoreboard or all the other countries are there. And that area over there, by the way, filled with the different uniforms, looks very spectacular. With the countries all in there, they're different colours. The Canadians now just the final group are passing the Royal Diocese and still the Canadians waving up to this wildly enthusiastic crowd. And so the parade of 64 countries, 64 competing teams has come to its conclusion on this, the opening ceremony of the 15th Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia. Now there's the Australian team just waiting over there for the next part of the parade. Of course the Australians, they look great. And they'll be competing, as we mentioned, the absentees from the parade. All of the people who were in action on the first day, including your friend Cathy Watt. Yes, and in fact all of the cyclists out tomorrow in the 100-kilometre team time trial for the men and the 50-kilometres for the women. Welcome to the 15th Commonwealth Games. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 15th Commonwealth Games. We now have the National Chairs. Please direct your attention to the South Stand for the raising of the nation's flags. Round, round, right, turn. Thank you Norman and Phil, fantastic. So emotional. It is isn't it? It's wonderful. Fabulous to be here. It's just marvellous. And there go the flags, there's the Canadian flag in the foreground. There's ours, I can see there. And up they go. And there they will stay for the duration of the Commonwealth Games. For centuries, Vancouver Island has been home of many nations rich in culture, deeply rooted traditions, songs and dances. Les légendes amérindiennes sont l'expression d'une riche culture traditionnelle transmise de génération en génération depuis des siècles. It is with great respect and honour that we present to you today, for the first time outside the traditional big house, the legend of Kawadili Kala, the first man born of the wolf. Now, ladies and gentlemen, what you're about to see is a special, special occasion, unique, in fact beyond words. Chief Adam Dick and his Coast Salish people are about to take us into their most sacred ceremony. It's called the Big House. And all is not separated. Long before the flooding, long before the beginning of the world as we know it today, all the kingdoms spoke with one language and with one voice. The animal kingdom, the undersea kingdom, the elements and the creatures that flew the closest to the heavens. The world knew no boundaries, no limitations. Everything was alive. The trees, the plant life, the wind, the sun and the moon. Nothing was separated. All was one. Men and women were to come into a land where all was interconnected and interdependent of each other. In the great circle of this land, all had stretched out between the worlds, the kingdoms and the elements. All had a responsibility to this planet. It was a time of harmony, great humility and the profound awareness of how each one's supernatural energy balanced the other. This was the foundation of the Kwakuwak people and culture of this territory. This was the land, the home and the house into which our ancestors were born. Each nation of this great land has their own truth, its own reality. This is the legend of the beginning of time. This is from the box of treasures inherited by Kwakwesis Talak, Chief Adam Dick, from the hundreds of Kwakwesis Talaks before him. This is our truth. We all have great gifts and ties to the sacred. This is what makes us brothers and sisters. We have different ways of celebrating, some more private, some more public. All are just as powerful. Yes, never before has this been performed in public, the Big House. Today it has an audience of some 500 million people. Commonwealth is just moments from a richness it could never, ever have suspected. The atmosphere is as it should be here, honorably quiet, most definitely privileged. This is really just the beginning too, Tim, because as I mentioned earlier yesterday when we saw a rehearsal of this, we didn't realize how you can get caught up so much in the spirit of it and the emotion of it. It evolves into a wonderful but emotional conclusion. Far atop the towering mountains at Wa'i there roamed a great wolf named Gelalachit. Man was not yet born in this supernatural time before memory. This was the time when the animals dominated the planet and had the supernatural power of transformation. Gelalachit was a gigantic beast of nature that moved with great strength and agility. He emerged from the mountain. He moved in a cautious, steady foot past the glacier and by the river. His majestic stature appeared at the tree line above the valley floor. And from the body of the great wolf came forth a man who would be known through time as Kawadiliqla. Next to come forth was Kawadiliqla, the younger brother. The third supernatural gift was a woman. Her name was Hayashiliqas. Finally, the youngest brother, Nanolach, emerged. And so it came to pass that the first four human beings of the Kawadiliqla people came from the great wolf Gelalachit. The land was filled with beauty and wonder as far as the eyes could see. The three brothers and their sister stood in the great unknown land and wondered if others like them existed. Kawadiliqla, the firstborn, turned to the south direction and howled a piercing, lonely cry. The only answer was the echo returning from the mountain. Time itself stood still as Kawadiliqla awaited a response that did not come. He turned to the north and howled a haunting cry. The answer was a different silence. Kawadiliqla turned to the east direction and gave a spine-tingling howl. As with the other two calls of the wild, he was met with an emptiness and a solitude that cut into his soul. Kawadiliqla turned desperately to the west in a final howl that emerged from his very core. Suddenly the vast expanse and solitude was shattered by a kindred wolf cry from an unknown distance to the west. The first four people that came forth from Gilalashi now knew others lived in a distant place that is known as Kwatsino. In time, the brothers and their sisters wanted to explore their new-found territory. They began their journey in a Sisiul canoe. The canoe was made from a two-headed serpent that was powered with supernatural energy. A Sisiul had the ability to travel on land and water. It could be either a positive or negative experience for those who encountered it. This supernatural creature was to become the main crest of Kawadiliqla and was also to become the beam of his first house. The four siblings wandered from their homeland down the beautiful river in their Sisiul canoe. As they approached the river's lousy, they saw that it was teeming with silver creatures swimming upstream. A supernatural man suddenly appeared to the three brothers and their sister. The man asked, Do you know what is swimming up your river? They replied, We do not know. We thought they might be worms. The man said to them, This is what you are going to eat. They will be known to your people as unigens. They will be one of your most important foods. You will not eat the small creatures that swim in your waters that are clothed with fur. Nor will you eat the creatures who swim on land. You will eat the hoofed animals clothed in fur, but not those that have paws. Kawadiliqla and his brothers and sister listened to the supernatural man as he instructed them on what they were to eat and what they were to leave to feed the other living creatures of the world. As the days passed, the brothers and their sister played with their supernatural powers to entertain themselves. They loved to play a game of toss and catch with a ball made from huila, a living crystal. When Kawadiliqla lost the last game to his younger brother, in frustration he hurled the huila to the mountainside. It landed on the bluff on the face of the mountain and left a large circle, the color and shape of the ball, for all to see. That mountain came to be known as huila-ish. Kawadiliqla then took his youngest brother, Nanulak, and pulled him apart and with his supernatural powers transformed him into eagle downs. He blew into the air that who once was his brother and the down spread all over the world. Kawadiliqla vibrated his hands as he chanted, haai, haai, haai, haai. Wherever you will land, you will be a different people and you will speak a different language. And so it came to be that the down that was once Nanulak became the different people of the world. Kawadiliqla then decided that they should continue their journey south down the river to see if others like them lived in this world. As the two brothers and their sisters started down river, the supernatural man appeared to Kawadiliqla and he asked him how the birds of the valley singed. He replied, Zawadzaleed, Zawadzaleed. The supernatural man decreed, from this day on you will call the people of this valley Zawadainu. Kawadiliqla told his sister, haai, haai, haai, haai, haai, haai. This is where you will be. It has all the power in the world. You will stay here and chase away all sickness for the generations to come. Kawadiliqla told his sister to look after the valley so she wouldn't have to walk amongst the devil's club and hurt herself. Kawadiliqla and his younger brother, Kulili, continued on their journey. They came to another river. The supernatural man called to Kulili and asked what song the birds sing at this river. Kulili replied, Hawalu. From this day on, the supernatural man commanded, the people will be known as Zawadins. The eldest brother told Kulili, this will be your river. Look after it well. And so the youngest was left at Ah-Ah-Hu as the guardian of the river. This was to be the beginning of the Kawadiliqla people, their homeland and their legend. The Kawadiliqla people passed through times of great joy, great sorrow, great feasts, great potlatches, great famine, and the great flood. Remembrance of the legend were permanently cast on the mountains at Waii during the flood thousands of years ago. Proud reminders of the legend survive today in songs, dances, and crests as they tell the history of Kawadiliqla through the passage of time. The chikenship of Kawadiliqla that was the first of the generations came to be known as Kwakzistala, which means the smoke of the big house fire reaches around the world. This big house symbolizes the first house of Kawadiliqla and it is said that all parts are alive. The posts and the walls of the house are the foundation of our culture. This is a way to show to this part of the world that these people are the most beautiful. We place a high emphasis on training. We don't believe in learning all about the products of and how the whole nation is blooming the way we're here to help. We believe if the training... presents great desserts just 95 cents. They would hot caramel. This is the Kawadiliqla and it is said that all parts are alive. The Sisyus posts and the walls of... who are the foundation of our culture. This is a part of a welcome unique to this part of the world, unique to these people and we're going to see them very soon. We place a high emphasis on training. We don't believe in learning all about the products of and how the whole nation is blooming the way we're here to help. We can update our knowledge. We believe if the training... neither will the service.