As morning breaks at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday, Delhi police commissioner YS Dadwal's promise that his forces are "on the job 24/7" seems to be holding true as the opening ceremony beckons
Prince Charles and Camilla are in place to play their part at the opening ceremony and take time to meet the Australian hockey team
Zoe Smith demonstrates her weightlifting prowess for the royal couple at Team England's training camp
A group of performers get in position for an opening ceremony that is expected to last around two and half hours
Around 60,000 spectators are expected to fill the stadium, but they have several ranks of security to pass through before they can take their seats
Those without a ticket take to the rooftops to catch a view of the festivities
No such problems for Prince Charles and Camilla who take their place as guests of honour. As a representative of the Queen, Charles will declare the Games open
An aerostat forms the centrepiece of the celebrations. The world's biggest helium balloon rises towards the roof of the stadium as the ceremony begins
Traditional Indian drumming is a big part of the early section of the ceremony. Tribes from all different parts of India are represented amongst the musicians
The unity of the nation is then symbolised as a group of children form the national flag in the middle of the stadium floor
Australia, as hosts of the Melbourne Games in 2006, are the first nation to parade into the stadium with netball player Sharelle McMahon at the head of the procession
The home nations arrive with, clockwise from top left, David Davies leading in Wales, team spirit running high amongst England, the Scots in exuberant mood and wrestler Mark Montgomery bearing the Northern Irish flag
The loudest ovation is reserved for the host nation who are lead by markman Ahbinav Bindra
Prince Charles takes receipt of the Queen's baton which has travelled 112,000 miles between all 71 Commonwealth Games nations since leaving Buckingham Palace in October 2009
A procession of floats representing the hustle and bustle of Indian life follow
The success of the Bollywood film industry is celebrated before the show is closed by legendary film star AR Rahman singing Jiyo, Utho, Bado, Jeeto, the musical finale from the film Slumdog Millionaire
What are these?
E-mail this to a friend 
Bookmark with:
What are these?