COMMONWEALTH GAMES
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Fiji, reaching the 34th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Fiji, reaching the 34th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting.
The Queen’s Baton, which carries a message from Her Majesty the Queen, arrives in Fiji as part of its journey to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in England from 28 July until 8 August 2022.
The Queen’s Baton is in Fiji for three days, of which only two, Sunday and Monday, are the official days of activation. During the visit, the Baton will be carried by Batonbearers, including former Commonwealth Games athletes plus current squad members vying for selection to Birmingham. The Baton will visit several sporting venues and destinations and experience what the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) hopes to capture and showcase to the world to promote the Baton’s thematic areas of Sustainability, Unique Mode of Transports, Untold Stories, Commonwealth Games Values, Youth, Community and Climate Change.
FASANOC is the Commonwealth Games Association in Fiji of whom CEO Lorraine Mar said: “It is fantastic to have the Baton visit Fiji. Its arrival signifies an exciting moment in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and I’m really looking forward to sharing the Baton journey during the various visits and activities in Fiji.”
On Saturday February 12th, at 9am His Excellency the President of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere will officially receive the Baton and welcome it to Fiji. HE The British High Commissioner will also host an evening programme with the Queen’s Baton Relay.
Sunday February 13th, the first activation day will see the following programme:
• The Baton will be taken by a Camakau (traditional canoe, Unique Mode of Transport) with two well renowned athletes to the sand bank outside of Laucala Bay for a sunrise photo shoot and then on return will visit athletes including swimming, table tennis, athletics, and weightlifting at the various training centers at Laucala Bay.
• The Baton will then travel by road along Veiuto to the National War Memorial where FASANOC’s President, Mrs Makarita Lenoa, will lay a wreath to honour fallen members of Fiji’s disciplined forces. The Baton will have a brief stop-over and visit bowlers at the Suva Bowling Club and then cross the road to Albert Park where there will be a photo opportunity for National Federation officials and athletes, FASANOC’s Corporate sponsors, Executive Board and staff , against the backdrop of the Government Buildings and the iconic Grand Pacific HotelMid afternoon the Baton will drive along the Queens Road and visit a Nature-Based Solutions Seawall (NBS) for the Namatakula Village that is partially funded by the British High Commission benefitting over 300 villagers and also a primary school which is affected by coastal inundation due to climate change.
• The Queen’s Baton Relay will continue on to Korotogo where it will be hosted by the Outrigger Hotel overnight.
Monday February 14th
• The Outrigger Hotel is organizing a coral planting activity as part of its OZONE (Outrigger’s ZONE) global conservation initiative.
• The Queen’s Baton Relay will then make its way to the Sigatoka Sand dunes where a tree planting program will be held
• The Queen’s Baton Relay will travel through Lautoka where it will than make its last appearance at "Koroipita", a community highlighted as a Model Town for other countries at COP23 where all citizens practice and observe sustainable habits including good practices at waste management and good involvement of Community.Koroipita proudly ticks off 16 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The Baton will travel back to Nadi where it will be packed up and continue its journey to Samoa, as the 25th destination.
Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition for the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 2021, when Her Majesty the Queen placed her Message to the Commonwealth into the Baton and passed it to four-time Paralympic gold medalist and Team England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Batonbearers to carry the Baton through the Commonwealth.
The 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay is an epic journey covering the entirety of the Commonwealth as it will travel to all 72 nations and territories, covering a distance of 140,000 kilometres. For 269 days, the Baton will travel to Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, before it embarks on the final stretch of its journey across England for 25 days.
The Queen’s Baton Relay will complete its journey at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2022. This is a traditional and fundamental part of the Games and the Opening Ceremony, as the final Baton bearer will pass the Baton back to The Queen. The Queen’s message to the Commonwealth will then be removed from the Baton and read aloud, marking the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
For further information about the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay visit:
www.birmingham2022.com/qbr
