29 Sep 2010

The Queen’s Baton Relay

4:06 pm on 29 September 2010

An important part of every Commonwealth Games is the Queen's Baton Relay, a journey which symbolises the spirit of the Games and enables the 71 participating nations to share in the event.

The baton carries a message to the athletes from the Queen which will be read aloud by her son Prince Charles to officially open the Commonwealth Games on 3 October.

The baton began its journey on 29 October last year, leaving Buckingham Palace in London and has travelled through 71 countries.

It has also visited the capital of each of India's 28 states and seven union territories. When it finally reaches the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Opening Ceremony, the baton will have travelled more than 190,000km in 340 days.

The Queen's Baton for Delhi is a handcrafted helix designed to represent the soils from each part of India. It features an array of colours, from white sand to deep reds, warm yellows and dark browns.

The Queen's message, which has been laser engraved using micro calligraphy onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf, is stored in a jewel-encrusted box.

The baton is also the first to be technologically enhanced. As such, it has the ability to capture images and sound, and features an inbuilt GPS system. Embedded light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are able to change to display the various flags of the Commonwealth countries.

The baton also features a text messaging system so messages of encouragement can be sent to the relay bearers.

The Queen's Baton relay has been a feature of the Commonwealth Games since Cardiff in 1958.

Sourced from www.cwgdelhi2010.org