The Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Kigali on 22nd March and will spend four days in Rwanda. The Queen’s Baton Relay departed Buckingham Palace on 13th March and will visit every Commonwealth Country as it journeys to Australia.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place on the Gold Coast in Australia from 4-15 April 2018.
During the commencement ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty the Queen placed her message into the specially designed Baton and entrusted it to the first Baton bearer, legendary Australian track cyclist and Gold Coast 2018 Ambassador Anna Meares OAM.
During its time in Rwanda the Australian High Commission, together with the Gold Coast Organising Committee and the Rwandan Olympic Committee, will take the Baton to Rubavu and also visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site. The Baton will be relayed through the streets of Kigali from the Convention Centre to Amahoro Stadium.
The Gold Coast 2018 Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres in order to share the excitement of the Games with as many people as possible.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a tradition of the Commonwealth Games that celebrates themes of diversity, community pride, and the sporting values of fairness, inclusivity and perseverance.
This year a special theme of environmental sustainability is highlighted. The GC2018 Baton has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways. The design has been inspired by Australia’s indigenous heritage and with sustainability in mind.
Australian High Commissioner to Rwanda, Mr. John Feakes, said “I am pleased by the opportunity that the Commonwealth Games affords Australia, Rwanda, and all Commonwealth nations to come together and recognise these important values that we share”.
Schedule
22 /03 / 2017
17h30 Kigali International Airport: Baton arrival from Ghana
18h20 – 18h45: Press conference at Grand Legacy Hotel
23 / 03 / 2017
09h15 – 10h00: Trees plantation – Rubavu district
10h30 – 11h30: Running cross around Rubavu town
24 / 03 / 2017
08h30 – 09h30: Kigali Genocide Memorial Site visit
15h30 – 16h30: Baton Relay from Kigali Convention Centre to Amahoro Stadium
25 / 03 / 2017
08h00 – 10h00: Community work “Umuganda” in Mwurire, Rwamagana district
14h20: Baton departure to Uganda
Panorama
