It's curling on grass, and everybody loved curling at the 2014 Winter Olympics, didn't they?

The objective is simple: roll your bowl closer to the jack (a smaller ball) than your opponent and you score a point. In singles, the winner is the first player to reach 21 points. In pairs, triples and fours, a set number of ends are played and the total score decides the winner.

* The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games is under way klaxon *

The first bowl has been, er, bowled at Kelvingrove. I'm not exactly sure who had the honour of pinging the Games open, because there are about a dozen matches - across the men's triples and the women's fours - all going off at the same time.

But one thing is crystal clear. The sporting action has begun!

BBC Radio 5 live

Craig Collins, greenkeeper at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre, has been a busy boy over the past few months, preparing the pristine greens at the picturesque venue.

"I'm up at 4.30am and in here for 5am. We have to be off the greens by 7.30am. They're rolling at a decent speed and I'm cutting at 3.2 millimetres, gradually taking it down. Maybe depending on the weather I'll go to 3 millimetres."

Image source, Getty Images

The first competition of the Games is about to get under way as 16 nations line up in the opening round of lawn bowls matches, with hosts Scotland taking on India, England facing the Falkland Islands and New Zealand up against Guernsey. Watch the action here.

But we have got plenty of throwing, grappling and lifting to look at before those two turn up to the party.

Lawn bowls is about to start the Games at 08:45 BST, before badminton and hockey start shortly after at 09:00 BST.

English cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins and Scottish swimmer Michael Jamieson - the poster boy of the Glasgow Games - are two of the biggest names in action later today.

Wiggins competes in track cycling's 4,000m team pursuit, while swimmer Jamieson leads Scotland's medal charge in the 200m breaststroke.

It is the morning after the night before in Glasgow - and it all looks pretty quiet. Following last night's colourful opening ceremony in the summer sun, the skies are a touch greyer as the city wakes up this morning. But there's not long now until the buzz of sport will begin to hum.

If you're not a fan of sleeping then the Commonwealth Games is made for you. The BBC has a marathon 18-hour day of coverage from Glasgow, so plan your meals and meetings around this little lot...

06:00-01:00: BBC Radio 5 live

09:00-13:00, 13:45-18:00 & 19:00-22:00: BBC One

09:00-22:00: BBC Three

13:00-13:45, 18:00-19:00 & 22:00-22:30: BBC Two

22:40-23:40: Tonight At The Games, BBC One

23:40-23:55: Sports News, BBC One

If your insatiable appetite demands to know more, then full details of our coverage can be found right here.

Excited about the action? Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sport coming up? Or perhaps a bit of both. Don't worry. We're here to guide you through the next 11 days like an overprotective parent.

Here's some more BBC-specific numbers to throw at you. Three hundred hours of television coverage, 200 hours of radio coverage and more than 1,300 hours of live action via up to 17 live online streams.

The Commonwealth Games lasts only 11 days. But the BBC will be chock full with the equivalent of 75 full days of all things Glasgow 2014.

So basically you've got no excuse to miss any of the action.

Image source, Getty Images

11 days

17 sports

71 nations

261 medal events

4,500 athletes

Thousands of athletes from 71 nations and territories took part as the Queen officially opened the Commonwealth Games before a 40,000-strong crowd in Glasgow's Celtic Park last night.

Image source, @teamscotland

Team Scotland:, external "Proud to be Team Scotland! #GoScotland."

Image source, @auscomgames

Australian Commonwealth Games Team:, external "What a sight! Australia marches into Celtic Park in Glasgow!"

OK, strictly speaking, it arrived about 11 hours ago as The Queen officially opened the Games before 40,000 excited punters packed into a colourful Celtic Park.

And I've been craving a Tunnock's tea cake ever since. Ginormous versions of the sugary treats, spinning into the rave-like arena, were my personal favourite of a feel-good opening ceremony.

But there was something for everyone. Tartan-wearing dancers, larger-than-life representations of famous Scots' inventions, landmarks, cultural heroes and Scottish history - and music. Plenty of music. Susan Boyle, Rod Stewart, Primal Scream all took to the stage, although the Proclaimers - disappointingly - were only represented by a reworked, acoustic version of 500 Miles.

If you missed any of this tasty treat then have a gander at the highlights.

Now, almost seven years on, the day that millions of people across Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain and the Commonwealth have been waiting for is here.

On your marks. Get set. Go! Day one of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games is up and running.

Image source, Getty Images

The rest, they say, is history.

On 9 November 2007, thousands of Saltire-waving Glaswegians packed into the city's Old Fruitmarket, nervously chatting ahead of a live broadcast from Sri Lanka which would announce the winning bid. Would it be Glasgow? Would it be Nigerian capital Abuja?

Later that chilly afternoon, the Scots were shrieking, hugging and generally going bananas. Fireworks, tickertape and a thunderous rendition of 500 Miles by The Proclaimers followed. It was official - Glasgow was to host the 2014 Games.

The world was a very different place in the summer of 2007.

The words 'Facebook' and 'Twitter' only cropped up in conversations between technology aficionados or super-cool hipsters.

Image source, Getty Images

Usain Bolt was a little-known 21-year-old Jamaican sprinter, yet to win a gold medal at a major international event.

Image source, Getty Images

And Glasgow still did not know if it would be named the host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.