Queen's Baton Relay to arrive in Isle of Man next week

08.06.2022 by IOM CGA

The countdown is on as in just seven days (15th June 2022) the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in the Isle of Man, the 68th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting. It will arrive here having travelled from Guernsey.

On Wednesday 15th June, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK will be one of those welcoming the Baton as part of a busy itinerary. During it’s time in the Island the Baton will visit a number of locations including Peel Castle, Port Erin, Castle Rushen and Tynwald Hill, as well as University College Isle of Man and Centre 21. It will also take centre stage at the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association’s fundraising Gala Dinner at the Villa Marina on the 16th June.

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 medallist and Team England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Batonbearers to carry the Baton.

Basil Bielich, President of the Isle of Man’s Commonwealth Games Association, said:

‘We are honoured to welcome the Baton to the Isle of Man. Its arrival represents an important milestone in our preparations for Team Isle of Man’s participation in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and we are delighted that some of our athletes will be actively involved with the Relay while it is in the Isle of Man.

‘I am delighted that the Isle of Man is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of the Island to people across the Commonwealth.

‘We are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in our community and are well on track with our planning for the occasion. Everyone here is excited to get involved with the festivities and to cheer on the Batonbearers.’

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 Batonbearer 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