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The aerostat to be used for the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi was for the first time unveiled at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today. Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, MP, Chairman, OC CWG Delhi 2010 and Mr. Viraf Sarkari, Director of Wizcraft International Entertainment talked in detail about the aerostat, the first of its kind to be used for a sporting ceremony or entertainment event.

The aerostat worth Rs40 crore is 80m by 40m and 12m high. The aerostat was raised to a level of 10m above the base on 8 September 2010, Wednesday and will be raised to its maximum height of 30m in the next two days.

Mr. Kalmadi said that the aerostat is "no ordinary balloon" but "a piece of technology, piece of art". The unveiling of the aerostat took place amidst heavy rains and Mr. Kalmadi pointed out "even during rains, it stands tall with no problems at all."

The aerostat will be multi-purpose, with video content being projected on it, which will include animation and graphics and will be synchronised with the events that will be taking place during the Opening Ceremony. The projection will be high-resolution. There will be spectacular projections- high resolution and multi-dimensional. Some of the live events will also be projected on the aerostat. The aerostat will lift scenic elements and create dramatic effects.

Sarkari described the aerostat as a technological marvel and said, "the USP of this aerostat is that it is used for projection in 360 degrees so every person in the stadium can view the entire effect of the aerostat."

There will be light fixtures with mirrors which will be fixed on the belly of the balloon and this will emit a warm glow.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. C. K. Valson, Competition Manager for Athletics, said the athletic track at the stadium has received Class 1 certification, making it the first one in India to receive it and amongst the very few in Asia. He said the ongoing rains would not affect the track and that it has been covered completely. He said he expected new records to be made on this track.