C'Wealth Games all set for a gala opening

About 7,000 men, women and children will dish out a show of India's cultural heritage in a gala Commonwealth Games opening ceremony with the icing on the cake being Maestro AR Rahman's performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium tomorrow.

With most of the tickets already sold out, the two-hour ceremony, scheduled from 7pm, will start with President Pratibha Patil and Britain's prince Charles expected to declare the Games open in front of a packed stadium of 65,000 capacity tomorrow.

The 619-member strong Indian contingent will be led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who will carry the Indian flag during the ceremony.

Even as tennis sensation Sania Mirza will not be part of the Indian march-past as the Hyederabadi ace has preferred to rest, badminton star Saina Nehwal, Beijing Olympic Games bronze medalist boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar will be among the six who will carry the baton during the formal part of the pageant.

There will be seven segments -- including Rhythm of India, Swagatam, Tree of Knowledge, Yoga, Great Indian Journey and Oscar winner composer AR Rahman's rendition of the CWG anthem 'Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto' -- in the nearly three-hour ceremony.

The guest panel will include International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennel, New Zealand governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, Monaco's prince Albert II and Presidents Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and Marcus Stephen of Nauru.

Hosts India are aiming to break into the traditional rivalry of champions Australia and England who have been fighting it out for top two slots in the past.

The Aussies, who have topped the gold and total medal tallies at the past five Games and are expected to once again be confirmed as the number one nation, have sent their largest ever team to an off-shore multi-discipline sports event in a bid to continue their reign in Delhi.

Although the country's high-water mark of 221 medals (84 gold, 69 silver and 68 bronze) at the 2006 Melbourne Games is unlikely to be surpassed in India, team officials expect another gold rush.

Australia's record gold medal haul came at the 1994 Victoria Games in Canada with 87.