By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in South Africa in five days, one of the destinations out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting.
In a statement, SASCOC said it will officially welcome the Baton in Mafikeng on Tuesday 7 December 2021.
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, said SASCOC.
During it’s time in South Africa, the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit communities in North West then proceed to Northern Cape and lastly Western Cape before it departs the South African shores.
Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition for the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 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.
SASCOC President, Barry Hendricks said, “I am delighted that South Africa is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of South Africa to people across the Commonwealth.”
SASCOC Acting CEO, Ravi Govender shared the same sentiments, “We are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in our country and are well on track with our planning for the occasion. We are excited to get our community involved with the festivities to celebrate the values of humanity, equality and destiny and to
cheer on the Baton bearers.”
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 will travel 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 28 July 2022. 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.
For further information about the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay visit: www.birmingham2022.com/qbr.