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Port Blair, Aug. 17: The Queen’s baton is arriving at Port Blair tomorrow (19th Aug. 2010). A warm reception will be accorded to the queen’s baton relay of 19th Commonwealth games at Port Blair’s Veersavarkar airport. Ms Archana Arora, Principal Secretary of Sports, Arts and Culture and senior officers of the administration will receive the 15 member delegation led by Addnl. Director General of Commonwealth games ceremony, Lt Gen Raj Katyan. From the airport the queen’s baton will go to Cellular Jail and then the historical places including Ross Island, Marine park and Chatham saw mill.
In a press meet held at Andaman Club today, the Principal Secretary of Sports, Arts and Culture Ms Archana Arora informed that a number of international and national level sports persons, apart from PRI members, President of Andaman Chamber of Commerce, State Olympic Committee Members, Senior officers from the administration will take part in the baton relay in the islands. She said that the queen’s baton relay will start at National Memorial Cellular jail and conclude at the historic Nethaji Stadium. The entire route of the relay will be decorated with the colourful banners, flags and welcome arches. Besides, the important buildings in Port Blair city, the ships anchored between Marina Park and Ross Island will be illuminated to mark this mega event.
Briefing the media, the Director of Sports, Arts and culture informed that the Islands is prepared to conduct the queen’ baton relay in the region. In a function to be held at Cellular Jail at 3 pm, the Islands Lt Governor, Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh will hand over the queen’s baton to the team of bearers selected from these islands. The baton will then be taken via Clock Tower, Model School, Bengali club, Golghar, Delanipur, Phoenix Bay and Aberdeen Bazaar before reaching Nethaji stadium. To mark the occasion, a colourful cultural programme will be presented at Dr Ambedkar Auditorium at 7 pm.
The Queen’s Baton arrived in India from Pakistan via the Wagah border in northern Punjab state on June 25. The baton will cover 28 states and seven federally administered Union Territories during its 100 day run in India, before finally reaching the 2010 Commonwealth Games host city, New Delhi.
The Baton carries a message from the head of the Commonwealth Nations — Queen Elizabeth II, which would be read out at the opening ceremony. Queen Elizabeth II released the baton for the 2010 Games on October 29, 2009 from Buckingham Palace in London in the presence of Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
Travelling by different modes and going through thousands of hands, the baton will cover over 20,000 km, in 340 days, making the Baton Relay 2010 one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games.
The queen’s baton will leave the Islands on Friday morning.
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