It has already traveled through 42 countries and by the time its journey is over in March, the Queen's Commonwealth Relay Baton will have traveled 118,000 kilometers through 71 countries. For the first time Belize is on the list and the Queen's Baton arrived yesterday via airplane from the Cayman Islands. Today the Belize Commonwealth Games Association carried the baton through downtown Belize City ending at the House of Culture where Mayor David Fonseca passed the baton unto to Sports Minister Francis Fonseca. If you're wondering what the big deal is about a baton…well apart from the fact that it’s coated with 24 karat gold and has an electronic message from Queen Elizabeth II, the Commonwealth Games’ Regional Vice President for the Americas John Hoskins says it's a way to build excitement for the games.
John Hoskins, Commonwealth Games Vice-President
“It will inspire, we hope, the Belizean athletes to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and also to highlight the Games for 2006. We are trying to get as many Belizeans at the games and also bring a higher profile to the games because our games are wonderful games but it hasn’t gotten the high profile of the Olympics.
I think the baton is passed on in the relay in the track and field event and so I think the idea started about twelve years ago and they decided to run the baton and its handed on from nation to nation and that’s why the baton is forwarded. It used to be where the queen would write a message and put it inside the baton, a hand written message inside the baton, but now the Queen has recorded a message and put it on a chip and its in the baton and this chip will be decoded when it gets to Australia and this speech will be read at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.”
The baton leaves Belize on Thursday and will be passed on to Antigua and Barbuda next. It still has 29 countries to visit and will complete its journey in Melbourne Australia in March of 2006 for the start of the Commonwealth Games.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
