The Queen’s Baton Relay began yet another historic journey from Buckingham Palace today (Friday), this time to Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The relay remains one of the greatest traditions of the Games and has been the curtain raiser since 1958.

Her Majesty entrusted the baton containing her ‘message to the athletes’ and it will appear at several high-profile sporting events including the England vs. Australia match at Twickenham on Saturday 7th November.

The Baton will also be on display alongside badminton star Gail Emms at Droitwich High School, Worcestershire, on Monday 2nd November and, the following day, makes it way to Birmingham with top gymnasts including Becky Downie and Emily Goring.

Christine Ohuruogu, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, will headline the Baton’s final UK appearance at a fireworks event in Newham on Friday 6th November.

The Baton will then travel 190,000 kilometers in 336 days through all the Commonwealth nations and its journey is one of the longest in the history of the Games. On its 100 day national tour, the Baton will visit every Indian state including the capital.

Delhi 2010 will be the first Commonwealth Games in India and will provide a unique opportunity to showcase India’s skills, capabilities and culture on the world stage.

Some of the world’s top athletes will take part, including England’s dual Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington.

For each Games, the host country designs a unique baton and India’s include:

• The ability to capture images and sound as it travels throughout all nations of the Commonwealth
• The latest global positioning system (GPS) technology through which the exact location of the baton can be tracked on the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi website
• Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s flag whilst in that country
• Text messaging capability so that anyone anywhere can send their messages of congratulations and encouragement to the Baton bearers throughout the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi

This is currently an exciting time for Commonwealth Games England, the organisation responsible for selecting and organising England’s team, and it has recently undergone profound changes with a new brand, a new board and a comprehensive modernisation programme.

At the last games in Melbourne, 2006, England were second only to hosts Australia, winning 36 gold, 40 silver and 34 bronze medals.

Kelly Holmes, Commonwealth Games England President, said: “Excitement is now building towards the Games.

“The Baton’s journey symbolises the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth Nations. This is a great opportunity for communities across England to be part of the Game’s preparations and really start getting behind the England team as the build up to Delhi begins”.

For more information on the schedule for the Queen’s Baton Relay please visit www.weareengland.org/

Nick Grounds, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine