commonwealth games 2010 opening ceremony

The Games, the first to be staged in India, have been dogged by problems with the athletes' village being called "inhospitable" just last week.

However, Games officials have worked round the clock to ensure competitions start, as scheduled, on Monday.

Some 100,000 security personnel have been deployed in the Indian capital.

Around 80,000 police on duty have been reinforced by 17,000 paramilitary troops to counter the danger of an attack by extremists.

Delhi's police commissioner YS Dadwal, promised security would be "foolproof", saying every police officer in Delhi was "on the job 24/7".

Prince Charles will represent the Queen and arrived on Saturday.

His exact role had been a source of confusion with local media reports claiming Indian President Pratibha Patil would officially open the Games.

But Clarence House, after emphasising that both would have roles in the ceremony, has confirmed the Prince will read out the Queen's baton message before declaring the Games open.

Gordon Farquhar Blog
The opening ceremony will be a show that vibrates with the sounds and rhythms of India, majoring on the nation's culture and heritage

On Saturday, there were concerns a number of teams could boycott the opening ceremony or send a token presence because they were unhappy athletes who were set to compete on Monday would not be able to leave early. commonwealth games 2010 opening ceremony