Commonwealth Games baton to reach Delhi on 30-Sep

The 2010 Commonwealth Organising Committee announced the India schedule of Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) which will pass through the various states and Union territories in the run-up to the quadrennial event starting from October 3.

The baton will arrive in India on June 25 at 1300 hrs through Wagah Border after finishing its Pakistan tour and proceed to Amritsar via road on the same day in the evening," OC Chairman Suresh Kalmadi said.

During its 100-day-long programme, the baton will pass through all the states and union territories before finally arriving in Delhi on September 30 at 1100 hrs.

The baton will spend 3-4 days in each state and union territory, during which it will be taken to the different cities and districts. Special attention has been given to the remote and far flung areas where the baton will travel in regards to security and transportation.

The schedule was announced during OC's meeting with the nodal officers of different states and union territories to inform them about the arrival and departure of the relay in their respective cities and arrangements required to be made to ensure baton's smooth run.

Kalmadi, briefing the nodal officers, said that all must work in one direction to make this relay a ceremonious event to showcase India's rich cultural diversity, lifestyle and strong democracy.

Commonwealth Games baton to fight drug abuse

Zambia has decided to use the Queen's baton relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India to fight drug abuse among children.

There is palpable interest in this southern African country as it awaits the Commonwealth Games baton for its two-day sojourn in the country.

The baton will be arriving here from Malawi on Jan 23 and will leave for Botswana Jan 24. "We have tied up with the Drug Enforcement Commission to use the relay to fight drug abuse," media liaison officer of the Queen Baton's Relay committee in Zambia Haroon Ghumra

He said that elaborate arrangements are being made to give a high profile to the Queen's Baton, which will arrive in Zambia on the 87th day of the relay, accompanied by a four-member delegation.

"The protocol is that when the baton lands in the country, the first person to lay hands on it has to be the guest of honour. We are trying to get high dignitaries to come for this event," he said.

It is expected that Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia, who was a close friend of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, will participate in the baton relay.

Children from two prominent schools in the Zambian capital will participate in the two-day event, which inspired the committee to talk about a socially-relevant topic to the large audience that will be present.

"We plan to have information displays and give communication material to the school children," Ghumra said.

Eighteen countries from Africa are members of the 72-member Commonwealth group of nations.

The relay was launched by British Queen Elizabeth II on Oct 29 from Buckingham Palace, in the presence of Indian President Pratibha Patil.

The baton will reach India late June, after which it will get a guided tour around the country before reaching Delhi for the inauguration of the Commonwealth Games Oct 3.

Batonbearers excited ahead of Queen's Baton relay

The air was thick with anticipation as Batonbearers from India and Britain chosen to feature in the launch Queen's Baton Relay 2010 on Thursday gathered at the official hotel of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi on Wednesday.

Lord Sebastian Coe, a two-time Olympic Games champion and Chairman, London 2012 Organising Committee, enquired about Delhi's preparedness of the Commonwealth Games and embraced former India cricket captain Kapil Dev.

Kapil, who was captain of the Indian cricket team that won the World Cup in 1983, loved the opportunity to interact with champions from other sporting disciplines. "It is wonderful to meet people like Lord Coe as well as our own champions like Abhinav Bindra, Milkha Singh, Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar," he said.

He said he had no doubt that Delhi 2010 would be a memorable event and that the athletes from the Commonwealth nations and territories would enjoy their visit to compete in the biggest sporting extravaganza in Delhi.

Olympic Games and World championship bronze medalist boxer Vijender Singh was thrilled that he would play a role in the Queen's Relay at Buckingham Palace on his 24th birthday on Thursday. Freestyle wrestler Sushil Kumar, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and India's first woman medalist at the Olympic Games, Karnam Malleswari, were excited too to be a part of the opening day ceremonies.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Mr. Michael Fennell will take the Baton from the plint and carry it to Her Majesty the Queen. She will place her message to the athletes in a jewellery box in the handcrafted Baton. Her message has been engraved onto a miniature 18-carat gold leaf that is symbolic of the ancient Indian palm leaf patras. The embossing has been made by using modern laser technology. The Baton has been created by Foley design along with Titan Industries and Bharat Electronics.

The Hon'ble President of India will pass on the Baton to the Minister for Sports, Dr. M S Gill who will then turn it over to Mr. Kalmadi, Chairman of the Organising Committee and President of the Indian Olympic Association. Mr. Suresh Kalmadi will then hand over the Baton to the first Batonbearer, Abhinav Bindra.

On October 30, Organising Committee Chairman Mr. Kalmadi will hand over the Baton to the Commonwealth Games Council of England Chairman Sir Andrew Foster in the presence of the Union Sports Minister Dr. MS Gill and the Rt. Hon. Mr. John Bercow, Hon'ble Speaker of the House of Commons and Mr. Tejendra Khanna, Lt. Governor, National Capital Territory of Delhi. The ceremony will be held at the Greens in New Palace Yard, Houses of Parliament.

After journeying for 170,000km over 240 days in different lands that are members of the Commonwealth, the Baton will arrive in India at the Wagah Border with Pakistan with just 100 days left for the start of the Games. It will then travel to all State Capitals, a number of other towns and villages, exhorting all of India to be a part of the celebrations. It will reach the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Opening Ceremony on October 3, 2010 when the Queen or Her representative will read out the message to the athletes, marking the start of the Games.

Monty Panesar to participate in Queen's Baton Relay

England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar's Indian roots have earned him the honour of being a part of the October 29 Queen's Baton Relay to launch next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Panesar's former agent Vic Sethi, who is a member of the UK launch arm of the organising committee, said the left-armer was chosen to add an Indian flavour to the much-awaited ceremony at the Buckingham Palace.

"We thought that someone from the UK was needed because the Queen, the head of the Commonwealth is British; we needed a link to India. I think Monty was perfect because he is one of the first British Sikh sports stars to wear the turban and the full beard," Sethi was quoted as saying by the local media.

The baton will be carried from the palace on an international journey before finally touching down Delhi next year.

Queen's Baton Relay on 29-Oct

The Queen’s Baton Relay, a traditional event that has launched every Commonwealth Game since 1958, will be held next October 29 at Buckingham Palace in London.

Apart from the visiting Indian President, other dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony include Prince Philip, Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Delhi Games, Suresh Kalmadi. Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra will be the first athlete to run with the baton, a high-tech stick that will contain a digital camera, a GPS and a Queen’s message to athletes engraved on a gold leaf.

The baton will be carried to the Queen Victoria Memorial and The Mall in central London, followed by a colorful parade of performers, before making its way to Trafalgar Square, where a grand finale will showcase Indian culture.

The baton will then traverse the length and breadth of the Commonwealth for 240 days, visiting all of the other 70 nations and territories, before entering India for a 100-day national tour.

By the end of this epic journey, it will have traveled for 340 days and covered more than 190,000 km, passing through the hands of thousands of individuals across land, air, sea and on many different modes of transport – from bicycle and boat to hot air balloon, steam train and even an elephant.

The journey will include some of the most remote places in the Commonwealth such as St. Helena – accessible only by boat – and the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

The baton will enter India from the Attari border with Pakistan June 25 before starting on a journey of 28 States and seven Indian Union Territories, covering a distance of over 20,000 km.

The relay will end at the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium October 3, where athletes will be read out the Queen’s message, engraved on a miniature 18-carat gold leaf representing the ancient Indian ‘patra’.

Commonwealth Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, established on 11 December 1931 is an organisation of 53 independent member states. 

Most of the states were formerly part of the British Empire. They co-operate within a framework of common values and goals, as outlined in the Singapore Declaration.These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace.

The Commonwealth is an inter-governmental organisation through which countries with diverse social, political, and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status. Its activities are carried out through the permanent Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General; biennial Meetings between Commonwealth Heads of Government; and the Commonwealth Foundation, which facilitates activities of non-governmental organisations in the so-called 'Commonwealth Family'.

32 members of the Commonwealth Nations are Republics, 16 members are Commonwealth Realms and 5 members have distinct Monarchs.
The Head of the Commonwealth is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II is also the monarch of sixteen members of the Commonwealth, also called the Commonwealth realms. As each realm is an independent kingdom, the Queen, as monarch, holds a distinct title for each of the realms.


Read more about history and traditions of Commonwealth Games.