Colours, Compassion, Competition: Commonwealth Games 2014 Kicks Off

The 20th edition of Commonwealth Games opened at Celtic Park on Wednesday after a moving and colourful ceremony in front of a 40,000 capacity crowd. (All images AP and AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the ceremony.

India's flag bearer Vijay Kumar leads his team during the opening ceremony.

A colourful, nearly three-hour long ceremony began with an exuberant sequence depicting the history of Scotland was followed by live performances from world-renowned Scottish singers Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle.

The Malaysian team entered the stadium with their flag at half-mast and wore black armbands in tribute to the victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash.

Performers dance as fireworks explode above them during the opening ceremony.

Fireworks explode over the river Clyde as they mark the opening of the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014.

Singer Rod Stewart performs during the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow.

The Commonwealth Games flag is carried into the arena by former athletes including Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, right, during the opening ceremony.

Fireworks explode during singer Rod Stewart's performance in the opening ceremony.

The Commonwealth Games 2014 will feature 17 sports across 11 days of competition with more than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations competing, making the event the biggest Scotland has ever hosted.