BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DIGNITARIES and sporting icons welcomed the Queen’s Baton at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport this morning (Mar. 19) as it arrived to begin its three day stay in the Federation.
This year marks the first time that all 71 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations will be hosting a leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which will be held this year from October 3-14 in Delhi, India.
“Associated with this particular baton is a lot of life, the life of all the youth in one third the population of the world. That is what the 71 countries of the Commonwealth represent, one third of the population on this Earth,” St. Kitts-Nevis National Olympic Committee (SKNOC) President Alphonso Bridgewater said at the brief welcoming ceremony.
“We are happy that this can be described as the most inclusive relay ever. No other baton would have travelled as extensively as this,” he added.
The baton arrived from Montserrat just before 11 a.m. and the gathered officials marveled at the technological wonder.
Among its many features, the baton is capable of recording photos and audio, contains LED lighting that changes in each country to match the national flag colours and contains soil from each of India’s 28 states and seven territories.
Additionally, a small piece of 18k gold leaf is contained within a clear jewel box on the top of the baton. Written on that gold in micro-calligraphy is Queen Elizabeth II’s message to the Commonwealth.
“When baton arrives in India, the gold leaf will be removed and put in a docking station where the message will then be projected onto giant screens and the Queen will deliver her message to the Commonwealth,” Event Manager to the Caribbean Diane Henry said.
The baton left Buckingham Palace on October 29, 2009 and has been travelling the Commonwealth since then. By the end of its journey it would have covered over 190 000km.
Bridgewater said that the high tech device embodied “the very spirit of India, and the very spirit of the Commonwealth Games”, and that St. Kitts-Nevis was pleased to be a part of its journey.
“We welcome it here to St. Kitts-Nevis and we say ‘yes’. When I say yes, it is because yes signifies the theme of the visit of the baton here. The Y for the youth signifies the future of the Commonwealth. The E for the energy we expect you to see reverberated as you move from place to place, and the S for the scenery, both in terms of the historical and cultural that you will come across. Every step of the way we expect you to be shouting ‘Yes!’” the NOC President stated.
Travelling with the baton through the Caribbean is the Commonwealth Games Federation Vice-President to the region, Fortuna Belrose, who thanked the people of St. Kitts-Nevis for the warm welcome.
“I think each country presents the baton in its own unique way and I think that is what makes us the Commonwealth. We are all different, but at the same time we can all achieve the highest heights that we want to.”
The team traveling with the baton was greeted by the Honorary Consul for India Kishu Chandiramani, Honorary Consul for the United Kingdom Peter Allcorn, Minister with responsibility for Youth Empowerment and Sports Hon. Glenn Philip, members of the SKNOC and Commonwealth Games medalists Kim Collins and Jason Rogers, among others.
Following the opening ceremony, the baton paid a visit to Governor General His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian and Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas.
Tomorrow (Mar. 20), it will travel around St. Kitts and Nevis visiting various cultural and historical sites, including the Brimstone Hill Fortress, Sky Safaris, Romney Manor, Independence Square and the Alexander Hamilton Museum.
On Sunday (Mar. 21), the baton will make its final stop at the TDC/Coca-Cola/LIME Interschool Championships at the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Stadium where it will be on display for the public to view.
