2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony

Opening ceremony timing

The ceremony started from 5:30 p.m. IST (Indian Standard Time).

What happened during the opening ceremony?

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, declared the event open by putting her hand on a palm scanner to set off a high-power pyrotechnics show, which delighted approximately 25,000 viewers at the crowded Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka.

"I declare the ICC World Cup open," stated Hasina, expecting the gala event would assist in fortifying brotherly feelings between the cricket-playing nations. She also mentioned that Bangladesh felt honored to co-organize the prestigious tournament. President of ICC, Sharad Pawar said it was a "historic" day and the event would always be engraved in the minds of the people. The ceremony went on for 135 minutes and started with the depicting of the national anthem of Bangladesh "Amar Sonar Bangla" written by Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The song held the viewers at the ground and millions of other spectators seeing it on TV mesmerized. Captains of the fourteen participating teams traveled in the stadium in cycle rickshaws. The cycle rickshaw was also used to bring the official mascot of the tournament, "Stumpy".

Performers

The program was divided into three segments, with each part categorically representing each of the host countries. The first part represented Bangladesh, the second part India, and the concluding segment Sri Lanka. A host of dancers and singers came from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to take part in this ceremony. In a superb blend of technology and culture, cycle rickshaws and laser displays took the center stage. The whole event costed $30 million. Given below are the names of the major performers in the event

Sonu Nigam

After the famous musician of Bangladesh Ibrar Tipu began the show by singing "Welcome to Bangladesh" along with other young artists, the stage was conquered by Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam who welcomed the captains of the 14 teams that are participating in this tournament. He belted out "Rise for Glory", which he has composed himself.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (De Ghuma Ke)

Bollywood trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa) belted out "De Ghuma Ke", which is the official song of the world cup. They have composed this song and it was sung in all three languages � Bangla, Hindi, and Sinhalese.

Bryan Adams

Canadian rock star Bryan Adams was the star attraction of the event. Wearing a black shirt with polished glossy hair, Adams shook the stadium with a series of his hit songs, which included the Summer of 69, Cuts like a knife, and Eighteen till I die. He was the sole performer from the west to sing at the gala event.

Runa Laila and Sabina Yasmin

Famous artists of Bangladesh, Runa Laila and Sabina Yasmin also belted out their popular songs to charm the spectators during the event sewn up by more than 3,500 performers.

The next big thing for cricket lovers is the 2011 world cup. Easily counted amongst the most happening sports extravaganzas of all times the cricket world cup occurs once in every four years.

The 2011 cricket world cup is scheduled to begin on the 19th of February. The 2011 cricket world cup is co hosted by three countries namely India Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The much awaited sports carnival will began with much jubilation with a grand opening ceremony. The opening ceremony will be held on the 17th of February, just two days before the start of the first match of the 2011 cricket world cup.

The venue for the ceremony is the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The events scheduled to take place in the opening ceremony are yet to be disclosed.

This is the tenth cricket world cup and it is for the first time that the opening ceremony will be held in Bangladesh. Since all three nations share almost the same kind of sentiments for the game of cricket the 2011 world cup is a moment of pride for all the three nations.

Since the opening and closing ceremonies of such events generally happen on a very large scale it is expected that the tourism of Bangladesh will receive a boost and this will in turn help to improve the economy of the country. Since it is Bangladesh that will lift the curtains of the 2011 world cup all eyes are fixed on the country.

People and specially cricket enthusiasts all across the globe have a lot of expectations from the country and hope that they make the event worth remembering.

Opening ceremony timing

The ceremony will start from 5:30 p.m. IST (Indian Standard Time).

Performers in opening ceremony

The ceremony has been divided into three parts, with each part categorically representing each of the host countries. The first part will be representing Bangladesh, the second part India, and the concluding segment Sri Lanka. A host of dancers and singers will come from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to take part in this ceremony. Given below are the names of the major performers in the event:

Sonu Nigam

After the famous musician of Bangladesh Ibrar Tipu begins the show by singing "Welcome to Bangladesh" along with other young artists, the stage will be conquered by Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam who will welcome the captains of the 14 teams that are participating in this tournament. He will perform "Rise for Glory", which he has composed himself.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (De Ghuma Ke)

Bollywood trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa) will belt out "De Ghuma Ke", which is the official song of the world cup. They have composed this song and it will be sung in three languages - Bangla, Hindi, and Sinhalese.

Bryan Adams

After this performance, Canadian rock star Bryan Adams will be performing. He is the sole performer from the west to sing at the gala event.

Bollywood star Salman Khan will also perform and famous singers of Bangladesh such as Runa Laila and Sabina Yasmin will grace the occasion.





Last Updated on 01 April 2011