Home › News › One Week to go Until the Queen’s Baton Arrives in Port Moresby
One Week to go Until the Queen’s Baton Arrives in Port Moresby
JANUARY 20, 2022: The countdown is on, as in just seven days, the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Papua New Guinea, the first Oceania country and the 31st i.e. thirty-first destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting.
On 29th of January, the Papua New Guinea Commonwealth Games Association together with the British High Commission will officially welcome the Baton.
A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay, with opportunities to showcase untold stories from Baton bearers, athletes, and young people who are striving for change in their community.
During it’s time in Papua New Guinea, the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit notable places in the host province East Sepik and will experience notable activities such as local culture and traditions, sustainable agriculture, and inclusive activities in the sports space in the communities.
About a hundred Papua New Guineans in East Sepik Province and Port Moresby will be given the opportunity to be batonbearers. Each batonbearer will represent any of the three themes of the QBR: Youth, Journeys that Matter and Stories. The Queen’s Baton will arrive here having previously visited Brunei, the 30th country to host the baton.
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.
Sir John Dawanicura, President of the Papua New Guinea Commonwealth Games Association and Honorary Life Member of the Commonwealth Games Federation said “I am delighted that Papua New Guinea is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of Papua New Guinea to people across the Commonwealth and the world.
” Dawanincura said “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 cheer on the Batonbearers”. He added that every effort will be made to ensure Covid 19 protocols are observed as the Queens Baton is relayed through the communities.
Governor of East Sepik, Hon. Allan Bird, acknowledged the PNG Olympic Committee in its capacity as the PNG Commonwealth Games Association for selecting East Sepik as the host province in PNG.“As the Governor of East Sepik, I sincerely thank Sir John and his Board for selecting my province and people, to host the Baton on its two-day journey across our communities. We hope the Baton’s journey through East Sepik will provide unique Melanesian cultural impressions and inspirational stories through the notable places visited and activities showcased. We trust that the Baton’s journey will experience the warm welcome and hospitality of my people as it experiences our unique culture and traditions, visit our local sites and wonders, showcases our historical and monumental legacies, and provides inspirations through our eco-tourism and sustainable agricultural projects in the communities”.
On its return from Wewak, the Queens Baton will be received by the Governor General on 31st January before its departure on 1st February for Honiara, Solomon Islands.
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/qb
