Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay of XXI Commonwealth Games arrived in Pakistan
By.Asghar Ali Mubarak


Islamabad; Queen’s Baton for 2018 Commonwealth Games arrived the beautiful county Pakistan. To Welcomes and celebrate the Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay of the XXI Commonwealth Games a colorful reception was hosted by Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Margaret Adamson mark the imminent arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay of the XXI Commonwealth Games which will be held on the Gold Coast, Australia from 4 to 15 April 2018. High Commissioner Adamson highlighted the Australian Government’s support for sports development across Commonwealth countries including Pakistan.
“The visit of the Queen’s Baton Relay is an opportunity to celebrate the dedication and sacrifice of Pakistani sports women and men – past and present-who are great ambassadors for Pakistan,” Ms Adamson said.
“Australia is pleased to support a visit to the Gold Coast of a girl and boy from Pakistan as `student ambassadors’ to participate in a cultural orientation program involving students from the Gold Coast and other Commonwealth Countries during the XXI Commonwealth Games,” she added.
Australian Government is supporting a number of sports development activities in Pakistan including the training of more than 600 young Pakistanis in squash skills and the promotion of health and gender equality.
Also, the annual Australian High Commission and Pakistan Cricket Board School Girls’ Cup cricket tournament and skills development clinics which aim to empower girls through cricket.
The Commonwealth Games Association of Pakistan is hosting a number of sports and cultural activities around the visit of the Queen’s Baton Relay from 29th September to 3rd October.
The student representatives to visit the Gold Coast will be selected from The City School
According to a message received here, Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Lahore on 29th September marking the 200th day of the 388-day expedition across Commonwealth countries.
Pakistan is the first stop for the baton in its visit to South Asia.
The Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay is set to be the longest in Commonwealth Games history, covering 230,000 km through 71 countries.
As part of the celebrations, the Australian High Commission will support a visit to the Gold Coast by two Pakistani school students to participate in a cultural orientation program with Gold Coast schools and other school students from Commonwealth countries during the Games.
The Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay was launched on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, on the historic forecourt at Buckingham Palace, signaling the official countdown to the start of the Games. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II heralded the start of the relay by placing her ‘message to the Commonwealth and its athletes’ into the distinctive loop-design Queen’s Baton which then set off on its journey around the globe. It will travel for 388 days, spending time in every nation and territory of the Commonwealth. The Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay is set to be the longest in Commonwealth Games history. Covering 230,000 km over 388 days, the Baton will make its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
The Baton will finally land on Australian soil in December 2017 and will then spend 100 days travelling through Australia, finishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, where the message will be removed from the Baton and read aloud by Her Majesty or a representative. The Baton for the Gold Coast 2018 was designed by Brisbane-based Company Design works to reflect the local culture and life of Queensland. Designed for each Game by the host nation, the 2018 Queen’s Baton has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic, sourced from Gold Coast waterways, and inspired by the region’s vibrant spirit and indigenous heritage. For the first time, the Queen’s baton was presented at the Commonwealth Youth Games during its sixth edition in 2017 which were held in Nassau, Bahamas. The Queen’s Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city’s Commonwealth Day festivities. The Queen entrusts the baton to the first relay runner. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads the message aloud to officially open the Games. The Queen’s Baton Relay is similar to the Olympic Torch Relay. The Relay was introduced at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales. Up until, and including, the 1994 Games, the Relay only went through England and the host nation. The Relay for the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was the first to travel to other nations of the Commonwealth. The 2002 Commonwealth Games relay covered over 100,000 kilometers and went through 23 nations.