The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city's Commonwealth Day festivities. The Queen entrusts the baton to the first relay runner. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads the message aloud to officially open the Games.
The Relay was introduced at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales. Up until, and including, the 1994 Games, the Relay only went through England and the host nation. The Relay for the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was the first to travel to other nations of the Commonwealth. The 2002 Relay covered over 100,000 kilometres and went through 23 nations.
The 2010 Baton relay
The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton will arrive at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games.Baton Reached India date 25th June 2010 through Wagah Border from pakistan.
Baton design
The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute of Design. It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils collected from all regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf – representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres high, 34 millimetres wide at the base, and 86 millimetres wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams.
The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:
The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:
- The ability to capture images and sound
- Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be tracked
- Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s flag whilst in that country
- A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of congratulations and encouragement to the Baton bearers throughout relay
So, now that you know the history, we encourage you to get out there and participate in the rally for the Queens Batton that will start at 1 30 PM at the Port Stadium and to the Swarna Bharathi stadium via CMR, University Rd, Pedda Waltair, Siripuram and then go back to the Swarna Bharathi Stadium where there will be cultural events held.
