King Charles III officially opened the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Thursday, marking the start of a streamlined 10-day competition aimed at reducing costs while preserving the event's competitive spirit.
About 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will compete for 215 gold medals across 10 sports and six para sports in the Scottish city, which is hosting the Commonwealth Games for the second time after staging them in 2014.
The king, accompanied by Queen Camilla, made a theatrical entrance by emerging from a Tardis, the iconic time machine from the British science fiction series Doctor Who, setting a lighthearted tone for the opening ceremony before taking his seat inside the 14,000-capacity OVO Hydro arena.
"As we gather, we celebrate the dedication and talent of every athlete and team. Your perseverance inspires us, and we eagerly anticipate your achievements in the coming days," Charles said in addressing the athletes.
"As we share our love of sport, and our planet, let us build a harmonious and durable future for our families and each other.
"It is now my great pleasure to declare the 23rd Commonwealth Games open."
The first indoor opening ceremony in the event's history, for a competition that began as the British Empire Games in 1930 and is still made up largely of countries and territories once under British rule, formed part of a major restructuring of the Games, which were on the brink of collapse three years ago.
The Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host of the Games in 2023, citing spiraling costs.
Glasgow stepped in to keep the Commonwealth Games on track, doing so at roughly a quarter of the cost of hosting the event in 2014. The sporting program has also been reduced to 10 sports from 19 at the Birmingham Games four years ago.
"When the future of these Games was uncertain, Glasgow didn't ask, 'Can we?' We asked, 'When do we get started?'" Glasgow 2026 Chair George Black said.
"Because that's what we do. We roll up our sleeves and, together, we make extraordinary things happen."
The indoor venue allowed athletes to enter the arena on stage as they were welcomed by spectators. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was among those in attendance, along with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney.
The Falkland Islands' six-member team received one of the loudest ovations following tensions sparked by Argentina's World Cup victory over England, when Argentine players paraded a banner reading: "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine").
Argentina invaded the British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic in 1982, but Britain regained control of the archipelago after a short war.
Athletics and swimming headline the program alongside artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3x3 basketball.
The largest para-sport program in Commonwealth Games history includes athletics, swimming, track cycling, powerlifting, bowls and wheelchair basketball.
Fresh off breaking the 27-year-old world record in the mile on Saturday, Scotland's Josh Kerr is the hometown star of the Games.
Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem's showdown with India's Neeraj Chopra for the javelin title is another highlight of the athletics program.
England's Adam Peaty will chase two gold medals in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke at the venue where he won his first international medals 12 years ago, while South Africa's Chad le Clos aims to become the most decorated male athlete in Commonwealth Games history by adding to his 18 medals.
