The Young Chronicle: For 1st Graders February 15th, 2014 | Page 4

YOUNG CHRONICLE

The World Cup Opening Ceremony

The World Cup opening ceremony is happening in Christchurch. Christchurch is in New Zealand. The city was almost
crushed because of the major earthquakes it experienced between 2010 to 2012. The World Cup Opening Ceremony
on Thursday was the largest event hosted by Christchurch ever since.
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Children mingled with the cricketers in "backyard'' matches. Maori warriors shared the stage with Morris dancers
(traditional dancers from New Zealand) during the beautiful ceremony at Hagley Park. The venue was buzzing with
people and excitement, as this had been the first World Cup Launch in New Zealand and Australia in 23 years! Since
Australia and New Zealand are major cricketing nations, it is strange that the World Cup was not hosted there for so
long.

The formal part of the ceremony began with a beautiful display of fireworks. The event was more meaningful because
it was held just few hundred meters away from the place, which had been badly hit by the earthquake. In fact, the
Venue, Hagley Oval, had to be extensively redeveloped after the earthquake, to host the opening ceremony.
Mayor Leanne Dalziell said Christchurch was preparing to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup when the earthquake
struck, toppling hotels and wrecking venues, forcing matches to be allocated to other centers. With the Cricket World
Cup, She told the fans on Thursday "we're back!''
International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson unveiled the Cricket World Cup trophy, saying it was a
symbol of the ICC's values of excellence, integrity and inclusion.
Thursday's ceremony, not only set the stage for the 20th Cricket World Cup. It celebrated the love of cricket and the
cultures of the competing nations and equally celebrated Christchurch's rising from the devastation caused by the
earthquakes.