This evening's Ceremony took place at the Baku Olympic Stadium, originally opened in 2015 for the inaugural European Games. 

It marked the start of the fourth edition of the Games, first held in Saudi Arabian city Mecca in 2005.

The Ceremony, which featured over 2,000 local volunteer performers, was led by Catherine Ugwu, the director of ceremonies and executive producer, who also filled the same role at the 2015 European Games.

"We have worked really hard to make the ceremonies distinctly different," she said.

"Both have taken Azerbaijan as a starting point, but whereas with the European Games we very much looked to the West, this time we very much look to the East."

During the Ceremony, a video presented some of the city’s iconic landmarks the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed alongside other delegates.

There was also a parade of athletes.

Teams entered in English alphabetical order with the host nation, Azerbaijan, arriving last led by five-time karate world champion Rafael Aghayev. 

Taekwondo player Radik Isayev, an Olympic gold medallist at Rio 2016, and Fuad Aslanov, a boxing referee, took the athletes' and referees' oaths respectively. 

Aliyev then declared the Games open before a display of fireworks filled the sky.

Organisers confirmed yesterday that three nations withdrew from competing at the Games.

Libya, Sudan and Kuwait, due to compete as independent athletes of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, will not take part.

More than 3,000 athletes are due to compete in 21 different sports in Baku, where action is due to take place until May 22.   

The programme is made up of athletics and Para athletics, 3x3 basketball, boxing, diving, football, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, handball, judo and blind judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu and zurkhaneh.

The first medals are due to be awarded tomorrow in rhythmic gymnastics, judo, karate, shooting, swimming and weightlifting.