Queen's Baton Relay

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 Her Majesty 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.cite web|url=http://qbr.melbourne2006.com.au/?s=tradition |title=Queen's Baton Relay: The tradition continues... |publisher=Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation |accessdate=2007-02-15]

History

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.

Auckland, New Zealand 1990

This baton was a two-piece affair. Each piece went on its own individual relay run in the North and South Islands of New Zealand, only being joined back together in the final week before the Games began.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 1994

The Baton was fashioned from sterling silver and was engraved with traditional symbols of the creative artists' families and cultures, including a wolf, a raven and an eagle with a frog in its mouth.

Kuala Lumpur, 1998

Malaysia placed their own flavour on the Games, with the Queen’s Baton being carried into the stadium on an elephant. The baton was presented to Prince Edward by Malaysia’s first ever Commonwealth medal winner Koh Eng Tong, a gold medallist in weightlifting in 1950.

About the Baton

The Baton design was inspired by a traditional Malay artifact, the 'Gobek', which is a unique cylindrical areca nut-pounder widely used and displayed in Malay homes.

Manchester, 2002

The baton has special significance as it marks the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and was designed to symbolise the uniqueness of the individual and the common rhythm of humanity.

Melbourne, 2006

The Melbourne 2006 Queen's Baton Relay was the world's longest, most inclusive relay, travelling more than 180,000 kilometres and visiting all 71 nations that send teams to the Commonwealth Games [The Commonwealth of Nations has 53 members. However, the four Home Nations send separate teams to the Commonwealth Games, as do individual British Crown Dependencies, several British overseas territories, the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, and two non-sovereign states in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue.] in one year and a day. The Queen's Baton Relay started, as it traditionally does, at Buckingham Palace and ended in Melbourne, Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It carried a message from the Queen to the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

About the Baton

The baton contained 71 lights on the front, representing the 71 member nations of the Commonwealth Games Federation. A video camera built into the front of the baton recorded continuously as the baton travelled, and a GPS tracker was fitted, so that the baton's location could be viewed live on the Commonwealth Games Website.

Final Baton Runners

* Christchurch 1974 - Sylvia Potts.
* Edinburgh 1986 - Allan Wells.
* Auckland 1990 - Peter Snell.
* Kuala Lumpur 1998 - Koh Eng Tong.
* Manchester 2002 - Premiership footballer David Beckham & Kirsty Howard.
* Melbourne 2006 - John Landy, Governor of Victoria.

ee also

*Olympic Flame

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.melbourne2006.com.au/?s=qbr Official website of 2006 Queen's Baton Relay]
* [http://www.commonwealthgames.org.nz/Article.aspx?ID=3799 "Queen's Baton Relay" on New Zealand Commonwealth Games website]