The Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Kigali on 22nd March 2017 at 05:30 pm from Ghana and will spend four days in Rwanda. The Queen’s Baton Relay departed Buckingham Palace on 13 March and will visit every Commonwealth Country as it journeys to Australia. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place on the Gold Coast in Australia from 4-15 April 2018.
During the commencement ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty the Queen placed her message into the specially designed Baton and entrusted it to the first Baton bearer, legendary Australian track cyclist and Gold Coast 2018 Ambassador Anna Meares OAM.
The Queen’s Baton visit in Rwanda is scheduled as follows:
On 23rd March: The Australian High Commission, together with the Gold Coast Organising Committee and the Rwanda Commonwealth Games Association (Rwanda CGA), will take the Queen’s Baton to Rubavu to join The Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in celebration of “International Water Day” where they will plant the trees and award the winners of Running Cross around Rubavu Streets.
On 24 March: The Queen’s Baton will pay tribute to Genocide victims at Kigali Genocide Memorial Site and be relayed through the streets of Kigali from the Kigali Convention Centre to Amahoro National Stadium.
On 25 March: Before heading to Uganda, The delegation, the Ministry of Sports and Culture, the Rwanda Commonwealth Games Association with National Federations representatives will join the Rwandans in community work (Umuganda) in Mwurire, Rwamagana district.
The Gold Coast 2018 Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres in order to share the excitement of the Games with as many people as possible.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a tradition of the Commonwealth Games that celebrates themes of diversity, community pride, and the sporting values of fairness, inclusivity and perseverance.
This year a special theme of environmental sustainability is highlighted. The GC2018 Baton has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways. The design has been inspired by Australia’s indigenous heritage and with sustainability in mind.
Australian High Commissioner to Rwanda, Mr John Feakes, said “I am pleased by the opportunity that the Commonwealth Games affords Australia, Rwanda, and all Commonwealth nations to come together and recognise these important values that we share”.
