Queen’s Baton arrives in Sri Lanka tomorrow
The countdown is on, as in just a day, the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Sri Lanka — the 25th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories that it will be visiting.
On January 3, 2022, the President of Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) in Sri Lanka, Suresh Subramaniam, and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Sports and British High Commission will officially welcome the Baton at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Queen’s Baton will be carried at the airport by Chinthana Vithanage and Dinusha Hansani Gomes, who have won the medals at the Commonwealth Games.
A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay, with opportunities to showcase untold stories from Baton bearers, athletes, and young people who are striving for change in their community.
During its time in Sri Lanka the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Colombo, Kandy and travel up to Hatton. The Queen’s Baton will arrive here having previously visited the Maldives. Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition at the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on October 7, 2021, when Her Majesty The Queen placed Her Message to the Commonwealth into the Baton and passed it to four-time Paralympic gold medallist and Team England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Baton bearers to carry the Baton.
The President of CGA Sri Lanka Subramaniam said, “I’m delighted that Sri Lanka is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of Sri Lanka to people across the Commonwealth.”
The CGA Sri Lanka’s Secretary General, Maxwell de Silva said, “We are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in our community and are well on track with our planning for the occasion. Everyone here is excited to get involved with the festivities and to cheer on the Baton bearers.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will provide a unique opportunity to build sports, arts and citizenship connections throughout the education sector between the host city and country and the geographies of the Commonwealth. Through the Commonwealth Connection global programme, the British Council Sri Lanka, provides educational opportunities for youngsters in schools to learn together and develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Commonwealth and its values.
“We look forward to welcoming the Baton here in Sri Lanka. This epic journey across the Commonwealth represents hope, solidarity and collaboration for the next generation, and is connecting communities in every corner of the Commonwealth, embracing unique cultures and sharing stories,” the British Council commented.
The 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay is an epic journey covering the entirety of the Commonwealth as it will travel to all 72 nations and territories, covering a distance of 140,000 kilometres. For 269 days, the Baton travels to Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, before it embarks on the final stretch of its journey across England for 25 days.
The Queen’s Baton Relay will complete its journey at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on July 28. This is a traditional and fundamental part of the Games and the Opening Ceremony, as the final Baton bearer will pass the Baton back to The Queen. The Queen’s message to the Commonwealth will then be removed from the Baton and read aloud, marking the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.