It’s been taken diving in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, paraded by elephants in Sri Lanka and sniffed by giant tortoises in the Seychelles, carried to the top of Q1, the tallest building in Oceania, and been honoured with a national holiday in the island nation of Nauru.
Today the Queen’s Baton Relay reaches the half-way point on its journey as it arrives in Mozambique, nation 35 of all 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth the baton will travel through. The baton will be met by schoolchildren, village chiefs and travel through farms and rivers.
Highlights of the international journey of the baton include a historic first visit to Rwanda, the youngest member of the Commonwealth, and — still to come — the last ever baton sail to St Helena, in the South Atlantic, as the Royal Mail Ship will soon be replaced by an air links to the island.
Also:
- It has visited 35 nations and territories
- Athletes who have carried the baton so far include Sir Chris Hoy, Kenyan middle and long distance runner Kip Keino, Kenyan middle distance runner David Rudisha (and current Olympic and world record holder in the 800 metres), New Zealand rower and yachtsman Rob Waddell, Zambian Samuel Matete, the first track and field African athlete to win a Gold Medal in that category.
- Animals met along the way include giant tortoises in the Seychelles, elephants in Sri Lanka, Koalas in Australia, and tigers in Kenya.
- From the moment it departed Glasgow, the baton has spent a total of 9 days flying.
- Some of the most unusual modes of transportation used include a 19th century steam train in Sri Lanka, motorised tricycles in Perth, Australia, an outrigger canoe in Kiribati, and helicopters in Australia, Rwanda and Namibia.
- The nation with the lowest altitude visited is Tuvalu, where the highest point is at 4.5 metres.
- The least populated nation visited is Nauru; with just 9,200 residents, it is the second smallest country in the world (Vatican City is the first)
- Smallest place visited is Funafuti, the capital island of Tuvalu. Funafuti is no wider than a couple hundred metres.
- The baton has visited some of the most remote regions in the world, including Kavieng, in Papua New Guinea, Tarawa Island in Kiribati and the island nation of Niue, which is only connected by one weekly flight.
- It’s been welcomed by bagpipes in Pakistan, Singapore, Malawi, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Botswana.
On July 23, 2014, the message Her Majesty placed in the baton will be read at the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow Games. The baton enters the British Isles on 11 May, 2014, through Jersey, and arrives in Scotland on 14 June, for a 40 day relay before the Opening Ceremony.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is the world’s most engaging relay, a unique tradition of the Games that unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. It will travel over 190,000 kilometres through 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth