City of Manchester Stadium's foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in December 1999. Construction began in January 2000. The stadium was designed by Arup and built by John Laing. The stadium cost about £110 million. £77 million of that was paid by Sport England and the rest was paid by the Manchester City Council. For the Commonwealth Games, the stadium had one lower level along three sides of the athletics track. There was a second level on the two sides. It had an open-air temporary stand at one end. The first public event at the stadium was the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games on 25 July 2002. Among the celebrities present at the ceremony was Queen Elizabeth II. During the ten days of competition, the stadium hosted all athletics events and the rugby sevens. Four Commonwealth records were set at the stadium, including the women's triple jump and the women's 5000 m.