Commonwealth Games 2018, Opening Ceremony: Telecast, live streaming, date, start time and where to watch online

Come April 4th, half the world will be coming together to watch the opening ceremony of the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games. The games, which are being held in Gold Coast-Queensland, Australia this year, will officially start from the 5th of April and will go on for the next ten days. This year's games will also mark the 5th time that Australia has hosted the games.

This year's edition is also special for another reason. For the first time in the history of major sporting events, men and women will have an equal number of events in terms of participation. This was made sure when the governing body announced in October that 7 new events will be added to the programme.

Other notable changes in this year's games are the exclusion of Judo and the inclusion of Basketball, Beach Volleyball, and Women's Rugby Sevens. In total 18 sports will be contested, further divided into 275 events.

Carrara Stadium has been chosen as the venue to host the opening ceremony. The ceremony, which will showcase Australia's diversity and culture, will also, at the same time, bring to the fore the spirit of Queensland. "It will be a treat for the eyes," a volunteer of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, who was present at the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony, told Sportskeeda.

India will also be represented at the opening ceremony by a contingent of over 200 athletes who will be led by flag-bearer PV Sindhu. When asked about what this role means for her, Sindhu had told Sportskeeda, "I'm very happy about it. It is a proud moment for me and I'm looking forward to it."