Commonwealth of cultures

Gold Coast games celebrate Australia’s finest, from beach bodies to Aboriginal smoking ceremony

The 21st Commonwealth Games opened with a lavish ceremony that showcased Australia’s Aboriginal past, left centre, alongside its beach culture, below left. The games, which will feature more than 4,500 athletes from 71 countries, was opened in front of a crowd of 35,000 people in the Carrara Stadium, Queensland, by the Prince of Wales. It included a performance by Delta Goodrem, the Australian singer, left