Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games begin at Celtic Park

                                          The Loch Ness Monster takes centre stage

The 20th Commonwealth Games kicked off to a spectacular opening ceremony in front of 40,000 people at Celtic Park in Glasgow. 71 nations, who will compete across 17 sports over the next 11 days, witnessed an electrifying atmosphere when Glasgow put together a good show on Wednesday night.

While world-renowned Scottish singers Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle performed live at the ceremony, at the same time six-time Olympic champion Chris Hoy also made an appearance at the home of Celtic Football Club.

The Queen officially opened the games before a 40,000-strong crowd in Glasgow's Celtic Park with millions more expected to watch on television. The Queen declared the Games open by reading her own message from inside the Commonwealth baton.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond paid tribute to the victims of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shot down over Ukraine last week, leading a silence before welcoming the participating nations to the Games in English and Gaelic. The Malaysian team wore black armbands as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

Thousands of athletes from 71 nations and territories took part. They entered the stadium after the live show, which had a cast of around 2,000.

India, the hosts of the previous Games in Delhi in 2010, were the first team to enter the arena and received a warm welcome. The remainder of the competing nations arrived according to geographical region.

Ghana was the third African country to enter the arena led by sprint queen Janet Amponsah and would be competing in eleven disciplines including shooting in the eleven-day event.

The loudest reception of the night was reserved for the host nation Scotland, who paraded into Celtic Park last, according to Games tradition.

The opening ceremony was also available live on Youtube, for the first time in any Common Wealth Games.

The Games will feature 17 sports beginning on Thursday. The closing ceremony will take place at Hampden Park on the south side of the city, which has been transformed into an athletics venue, on 3 August.

Team Ghana to buy sports equipment for Commonwealth games in Glasgow

Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga has revealed that Ghana’s team for the Commonwealth Games will have to buy its equipment in Scotland ahead of the event which begins on the 23rd of July.

He explained that the procedure to execute the purchase of equipment delayed and the Ministry has now been forced to make funds available for the athletes to get their equipment and get ready for the event.

Addressing the contingent on Monday in Ayrshire, Scotland when he paid them a visit, the Minister explained “I can see that you are being taken care of well but as you aware, there a few issues with your equipment. When I took office as Minister, we had a problem of late procurement of the equipment. The people at the Ministry asked me to approve of the purchase from the UK to Ghana before sending them to you here in Scotland."

However, I said the team was already in the UK so there was no need in sending their equipment to Ghana first. I have arranged with the Ghana High Commission so we will transfer the moneys to them and soon, you will have the money to go and individually buy what you need from the shops here.”

It was expected, by the time of the Minister’s visit to the team, that the kits for the athletes would arrive by either Monday or Tuesday.

The Minister also revealed that monies meant for the preparation of local athletes were ready and they would be given to the athletes upon their return to Ghana after the Games, which starts on the 23rd of July and finishes on the 3rd of August.

He also urged the athletes to do their best for Ghana and try to win a few medals to make the nation proud.

Team Ghana arrives at the Commonwealth Games village in Glasgow

Ghana's Commonwealth Games Team finally landed at the Commonwealth Games Village in Glasgow on Monday after spending about four weeks in training camp in

South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Team Ghana are expected to compete in disciplines such as athletics, boxing, fencing, hockey, judo, table tennis, swimming, cycling, weightlifting among others.

Led by the Chef de Mission, Chris Essilfie, the Ghanaian contingent expressed their appreciation to their host who helped facilitate their accommodation, transportation, training facilities and feeding during their stay in an emotional farewell to the city of Ayrshire in a ceremony at Belmont Academy on Sunday. The delegation also handed out pieces of Kente cloth and 'fugu' to their host to show their appreciation

Ghana's pre Games has been described by athletes and officials as one of the best by a Ghanaian contingent to a major competition in recent memory. The Ghana Olympic Committee undertook a similar exercise when the country's team to the 2012 Olympic Game spent three weeks in Plymouth prior to the opening of the competition.

Okagbare rises to victory in Paris after fall in Lausanne

Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare was back to winning ways this weekend in the Paris meeting of the IAAF Diamond League with a 200 metres victory over Olympic champion Allyson Felix and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

The 25-year-old overhauled Felix in the final couple of metres, clocking 22.32sec to the American's 22.34, just two days after failing to complete her 100m in Lausanne following a stumble. Fraser-Pryce, whose season has been undermined by a foot injury, could only manage fifth place in 22.63.

USA's Michael Rodgers won the last event of the night, the men’s 100m, in 10.00secs with 2008 Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson placing second in 10.08secs. Kim Collins, who won the world title at the Stade de France back in 2003, showed that he still has plenty left in the tank at the age of 38 by finishing third in 10.10secs. Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade was disqualified for a second false start.

Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross finished strongly to pull away on the home straight and clock 50.10 for 400m victory ahead of a fast-finishing Stephenie Ann McPherson – runner up in New York – with a 50.40 season’s best.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands produced a surprise victory against a women's 1500m field which included Sweden's world indoor and outdoor champion Abeba Aregawi and Kenya's Hellen Obiri, number one and two in the world prior to the race. Neither of the two favourites were in the hunt at the bell, however, as Hassan tracked the 2011 world champion, Jenny Simpson of the United States, overtaking her to record a national record of 3:57.00.

Kenya's double world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop produced another of the Meeting Areva's standout performances as he demonstrated his basic speed by winning the 800m in 1min 43.34sec, the fastest time recorded this year, ahead of the Botswana's Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos, who clocked 1:43.70.

It was an emotional night for Croatia's  Blanka Vlasic winning the women's high jump with 2.00m on countback ahead of Russia's Mariya Kuchina. The double World champion returned to action after a serious Achilles tendon injury.

Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment sped to a world-leading time and national record of 12.94secs in the men's 110m hurdles beating Pascal Martinot-Lagard breaking local hearts. Despite his disappointment at being unable to win in front of his family and friends, Martinot-Lagarde got some consolation by shaving his personal best by 0.01 to 13.05secs.
 
The home crowd had plenty to cheer as Renaud Lavillennie, Olympic champion and world record holder in the pole vault, won at this meeting for the fourth consecutive time thanks to an effort of 5.70 metres.  

The men’s triple jump also made the home crowd happy by throwing up a surprise winner in the shape of French international Benjamin Compaore, whose 17.12m effort in the fifth round snatched the lead from Olympic champion Christian Taylor.

Kirani James wins big as Gay finishes second in comeback

Olympic champion Kirani James produced an outstanding performance to beat LaShawn Merritt in the 400m on thursday the 3rd of july as the next stage of the IAAF daimond league visited Lausanne, Switzerland once again.

The 21-year-old ran a time of 43.74sec making him the joint fifth fastest of all time in the event alongside Merritt, which was also a personal best and a national and Diamond League record. Merritt, who is the reigning world champion, ran a time of 43.92secs which was the second best ever recorded without winning. Their rivalry is one of the hottest in the athletics world at the moment

Tyson Gay's comeback race following his reduced doping ban ended in 100 metres defeat at the hands of fellow American Justin Gatlin.  world silver medallist who has been in very good form all season, stayed undefeated on the term when he flashed to a new world-leading time of 9.80secs, the second fastest time of his career. Gay clocked a respectable 9.93secs placing second on the night.


The women's 100m needed a photo-finish. Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye who had never before competed in an IAAF Diamond League meeting was a surprise winner of the women's 100m after catching and stealing pole position from double world silver medallist Murielle Ahoure of the
Ivory Coast, with both women clocking 10.98sec.

Panama’s Alonso Edward also stole the show in the 200m speeding to victory in 19.84secs, blowing away double Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake on his return placing sixth in 20.48sec Jamaica's Nickel Ashmeade placed second and Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre third.

Ukraine's World high jump champion Bogdan Bondarenko won the latest high quality men's competition this season with an effort of 2.40 metres, taking the verdict on countback over fellow countryman Andriy Protsenko, for whom 2.40m was a personal best.

Pascal Martinot-Lagarde produced the performance of his life in arguably the highest-quality sprint hurdles race of the year so far to cross the line in a personal best of 13.06secs to move to fifth on the European all-time list in the 110m hurdles.

There was a dramatic finish to the men's 1,500m, where Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi sprinted to beat Silas Kiplagat, shaving some 11 seconds of his personal best in 3:31.48. The 18-year-old Kenyan has never lost a 1500m race. Kiplagat clocked 3:31.81, just a fraction ahead of James Magut (3:31.91) in a clean sweep for Kenya.

Olympic champion Greg Rutherford had to be content with second place in the long jump, with his 8.19m not enough to beat Diamond Race leader Jeff Henderson (8.31m) of America.

France's 2012 Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie (5.87m) claimed the pole vault ahead of Brazilian Thiago Braz (5.72m).