Discover our diverse Commonwealth in images, videos and stories of the Queen’s Baton Relay. Find them at brand.gc2018.com – Queen’s Baton Relay, International Sector.
Bare feet, big smiles and boundless energy have greeted the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) as it champions the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) through Oceania.
Pacific Islanders are regarded as a force to be reckoned with in global sports, particularly in rugby and weightlifting. Take Nauru, population 10,000, which boasts the greatest number of Commonwealth Games medals per capita and who is currently ranked 20 out of the 70 nations and territories that will compete at GC2018. Sport is so beloved in Nauru that the Queen’s Baton Relay on 2 November was declared a public holiday!
As the QBR visits these island nations, a mix of GC2018 sports and traditional sports have been showcased, including lawn bowls in the Cook Islands, stick dances in Kiribati and coconut throwing in Niue.
Currently in the Cook Islands, the Queen’s Baton is bound next for Tonga, before it heads to Fiji, a behemoth in the world of rugby sevens.
Oceania is the final region the Queen’s Baton will visit before it arrives in Australia on Christmas Eve. Australians will be able to see which streets the Queen’s Baton will be carried along from this Friday 17 November 2017 at gc2018.com/qbr.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Sarah Owens – sarah.owens@goldoc.com / +61 481 916 084
Public Relations Officer, Queen’s Baton Relay
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC)
BACKGROUND
The Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) continues to connect the Gold Coast with the entire Commonwealth.
Already the Baton has been passed between thousands of people across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe and Asia, building excitement for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).
The GC2018 Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres.
The Baton engages with all Commonwealth nations and territories of Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania for 288 days before it arrives in Australia for a further 100 days.
The QBR has entered the Oceania region, the final region in its global voyage around the Commonwealth before returning to Australia.
The Baton arrives into Brisbane on Christmas Eve and approximately 3,800 batonbearers will carry it through every state and territory in Australia.
The Relay started on Commonwealth Day, Monday 13 March 2017, at Buckingham Palace when Her Majesty placed Her message inside of the Baton.
The distinctive design of the GC2018 Queen’s Baton captures the boundless energy of the Gold Coast. In form and inspiration, the Baton is a symbol of our past, present and future.
The Queen’s Baton arrives on the Gold Coast for the XXI Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, where HRH The Prince of Wales will remove Her Majesty’s message from the Baton and read it aloud to declare the Games open.
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