The Queen’s Baton Relay Makes Its Way Through the Jewel
This afternoon in Belize City, athletes in several disciplines participated in the Queen’s Baton Relay. They cycled and ran through the principal streets of the Old Capital as Belize joins seventy-one other countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The relay culminated at Battlefield Park around three o’clock where a brief ceremony was held. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The sixteenth official Queen’s Baton Relay made its way through Belize City today, as part of a marathon tour across all seventy-two nations and territories of the Commonwealth. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II placed her Message to the Commonwealth into the baton, kicking off the relay on October 7th, 2021. The Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association was on hand to receive the stick passed by the relay team.
Allan Sharp
Allan Sharp, Secretary General, Belize Olympic Committee
“The Commonwealth Games is not as well known, obviously, as the Olympic Games. So the Commonwealth Games is probably the second largest multi-sport games in the world. There are seventy-two nations that participate. This baton goes through all seventy-two countries, it started at Buckingham Palace last October and it’s already been through all of Africa, most of Asia or all of Asia. It left from Australia and got to Belize, now it goes into the rest of the Americas, in the islands of the Caribbean over the next couple months and then makes its way back to the Birmingham Games.”
The collective journey of the Queen’s Baton will ignite hope, solidarity and collaboration, as it connects communities embraces unique cultures and shares inspirational stories.
Giovanni Alamilla
Giovanni Alamilla, Vice President, Belize Olympic Association
“For the event today what we did [was], we had the Cycling Association and some other cyclists start by Mapp Street and North Front Street, ride down North Front Street, come over Swing Bridge, down Albert Street where we had runners from mainly the Softball Association. They ran it up to Brodies Hardware where we handed it over to some kids from the Inspiration Center and everyone came over to the Battlefield Park and it was handed over to the Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard.”
While Belize is just one leg of the intercontinental tour, that baton is expected to pass through other countries that are former British colonies, with the British monarch as their head.
Giovannie Alamilla
“So from here it will go to Guyana and by middle of May it will reach Canada and from Canada it goes back over the Atlantic and to the Isle of Man and various other territories there, concluding at Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, the beginning of the Commonwealth Games which will be July twenty-fifth.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
