Commonwealth runs world’s biggest relay

05 December 2001

The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay will set a record when it travels to 21 Commonwealth countries, heralding the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester next year (25 July-4 August) – the biggest multi-sport event ever staged in the United Kingdom.

Kenyan athletics legend Moses Kiptanui launched the Baton’s International Relay Route

Announcing details at the Commonwealth Institute in London of the longest ever international Relay route, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennell said: “The Baton carries The Queen’s message to all Commonwealth territories and calls on the Commonwealth’s best athletes to come together in world class competition in Manchester next July for a festival of sport.”

Mr Fennell announced that the Relay would travel for the first time to all six regions of the world - Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. The route for the Relay – the Commonwealth Games equivalent of the Olympic Torch Relay - will make The Queen’s Jubilee Relay Baton the most widely travelled symbol of international sport.

“The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay will be the most extensive Relay ever staged and symbolises a bringing together of the world through sport,” Mr Fennell said. “The Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games are the only two multi-sport events encompassing all regions of the world.

The Baton will be flown to all Relay countries where local communities will organise a range of activities to showcase their country, culture and athletes around locally selected Relay routes and commemorate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

International route of the Relay

Legendary Kenyan steeplechaser Moses Kiptanui carried the Relay Baton into the announcement of the international route. The Baton is the first in the world to capture and reflect the unique heart beat of each Relay runner as blades of pulsating light while also reflecting the common heart beat of humanity.

“The Relay will give people in all regions of the world the chance to be part of the Commonwealth Games and I am sure this will inspire the athletes as they prepare for one of the world’s great sporting events,” said the world champion athlete.

Mr Fennell emphasised that The Queen’s Baton Relay is one of the great traditions of the Commonwealth Games and that for 2002 has been renamed The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay in recognition of the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty The Queen.

He added he was particularly pleased with the support received for the Relay from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Baroness Amos, Foreign Office minister with responsibility for the Commonwealth, said: “I am delighted that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is going to be a partner with the Commonwealth Games Federation in this exciting Jubilee Relay.”

“The government recognises the unifying value of sport and the importance of the Games to the Commonwealth. The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay will act as an excellent curtain raiser to the UK’s hosting of the ‘Friendly Games’ and demonstrates our commitment to a modern Commonwealth that addresses the concerns of the 21st century. We are committed to making a success of the XVII Games in Manchester.”

The Relay will act as a beacon for elite athletes in Commonwealth countries to gather for world class competition in a friendly environment at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, expected to include Olympic, world and national champions such as Jonathan Edwards, Katharine Merry, Steve Backley, Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman, Jonah Lomu, Moses Kiptanui, Ato Boldon and Simon Whitfield amongst others.

The international Relay route to the six regions of the world highlights the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth which accounts for over a quarter of the world’s population and land surfaces.

The Queen will start off The Baton’s journey at Buckingham Palace on Monday 11 March 2002 – Commonwealth Day. It will then travel for the next 86 days to 21 Commonwealth countries before returning to the UK on 6 June 2002 when it will begin its 50 day journey through hundreds of villages, towns and cities in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Wales and England.

“The XVII Games will showcase the rich diversity of the Commonwealth in the United Kingdom and other member countries in each of its six regions,” Mr Fennell concluded.

View complete details of The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay.