TNI Bureau: The 30th Olympics Games got a dazzling, colourful start in London last night, portraying Great Britain’s rich heritage and culture. Queen Elizabeth II declared the Games open in front of the 80,000-strong crowd and millions of people, who glued to their TV sets to watch the biggest-ever sports extravaganza.

The Olympics returned to Britain after a long gap of 64 years, and it was indeed a historic moment for all countrymen. Britain became the first country in the world to host the Olympics for third time.

100 heads of state and a host of other dignitaries attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony lasted for three-and-a-half-hour and cost 27 million pound. It was directed by Danny Boyle of Oscar-winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The parade of nations featured around 10,500 athletes from 204 nations. For India, Wrestler Sushil Kumar was the flag-bearer.