Tata Motors to provide Transport Solutions during Games and Batons Relay

After all the bad, there’s finally some good news from the organizing committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games 2010. On Monday, it signed a deal with the Tata Motors for turnkey transport solutions during the Games as well as for the Queen’s Baton Relay. The sponsorship involves Tata Motors providing cars, Games branded uniforms for drivers, fuel for cars as well as backup and maintenance.

Terming the Tata Motors the ‘‘official motor transport’’ sponsor for the Delhi Games 2010, Suresh Kalmadi, OC chairman, added, ‘‘We are delighted to welcome Tata Motors to our sponsor family. The arrival of Tata Motors as an official partner will contribute towards the delivery of the best ever Commonwealth Games.’’ The sponsorship comes at a time when the OC has been under pressure to get more sponsors for the Games, especially as few have signed on yet apart from the Indian Railways, NTPC, Central Bank of India, Coca Cola and a few others. As part of the sponsorship, Tata Motors will be providing a total of 1,789 vehicles during the Games, which include 1,550 Tata Indigo, 100 Tata Safari, 109 Sumo Grande and 30 trucks required for transportation during the Games.

As a part of turnkey commitment with the OC, the sponsors will also provide the drivers with Games-branded uniforms, fuel for all vehicles along with backup services and maintenance. In addition, Tata Motors will offer fleet and depot management services, beside 24x7 call centre facilities. All vehicles provided by the sponsors will have Commonwealth Games branding on them.

Tata Motors will provide vehicles for the Queen Baton Relay, They will offer 20 Sumo Grande, one Land Rover, three trucks, and two buses for the relay. The fuel, drivers and backup services for the vehicles during the Relay will be taken care of by the dealers of Tata Motors in different cities.

Queens Baton to Reach Gurgaon in September

After traveling the length and breadth of the country, the Queens Baton Relay of Commonwealth Games will reach Gurgaon on September 29, just before reaching its final destination Delhi.

In order to involve the residents and stir enthusiasm in them, the district administration has announced that outstanding sports persons in the district, who want to run with the baton on its route in Gurgaon city, can apply to the district sports officer Kulwinder Singh by August 15.

‘‘The baton relay is scheduled to stay in Gurgaon on that day. Outstanding players will run with the baton in the areas that are inhabited and will board a vehicle in those areas, which are not inhabited. School and college students carrying national flags would welcome and cheer up the participants for the baton relay at various places in the city,’’ said Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria.

Games Spirit with Sufi Songs at Wagah Border

As preparations got under way to hand the baton over to the Indian side early on Friday morning, the deceptively pleasant early morning breeze gave way to the scorching heat as the day wore on. Much like the relaxed bonhomie at the border seemed to give way to a race to be heard above the other, as both the Pakistani and Indian performers tried outdoing each other.

So while the other side belted out one rousing song after the other even as spectators danced to loud music, on the Indian side, the local performers dancers and folk singers who had come from the North Zone Cultural Centre, tried to drown out the din from the other side with energetic performances. Helping the Indian performers was the BSF band. The enthusiasm of the spectators on the other side of the border could clearly be seen, as groups of young sports enthusiasts and schoolchildren clapped and danced to the music. On the Indian side, it took the combined performance of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Wadalli brothers to shake the spectators out of their seeming stupor.

Interestingly, the level of enthusiasm on the other side seemed to be in tandem with the performances on this side of the border, with the end of a song or performance signaling the start of another on either side.

The spirit of patriotism seemed to reach its peak when the baton came over on the Indian side. Spectators clapped as the baton was handed to boxing stars Vijender Singh and Mary Kom.

After a Long Travel Queen’s Baton in India

The sweltering subcontinent heat could not keep the crowds away. People brimming with enthusiasm jostled for space as confused organizers tried to bring some method to madness at the historic Attari-Wagah border on Friday morning when the baton for the XIX Commonwealth Games arrived in India from Pakistan. Almost 5,000 spectators, officials and armed personnel welcomed it for the national sector of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

It was the active participation on the Pakistani side that seemed to be the deal-clincher. The countdown to the handing over of the baton raised the excitement at the venue as the baton was given by the Pakistan Olympic Association president, Syed Arif Hassan, to the Indian Olympic Association head, Suresh Kalmadi. In the backdrop of loud music and dancing by young Pakistanis on the other side, the handover was symbolic of the ‘‘friendship through sports’’ philosophy that the Delhi Games 2010 has been advocating.

The event had turned the border into a venue of joyous celebrations. Spectators welcomed the baton with chants of Chak De India. As the event countdown began, people were entertained with a show of traditional dance forms of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and other states. Folk music, vocals and colors added to the celebratory mood of the event.

Pakistan Punjab governor Suleman Tasir accompanied the baton to the Indian border, after it was handed over by Hassan, followed by a symbolic handing over to several dignitaries, including Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief Michael Fennel, CGF CEO Mike Hooper, Delhi and Punjab CMs Sheila Dikshit and Prakash Singh Badal and Punjab governor Shivraj Patil. Minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur and secretary (sports) Sundhushree Khullar and several other top officials of Punjab government were also present. The baton was thereafter handed to boxing stars Vijender Singh and Mary Kom before being taken on a tour of Amritsar city on the first leg of the national sector of the Relay.

It was, however, the cultural fusion between the Pakistani maestro, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and the Wadalli Brothers that perhaps best epitomized the ceremony a rousing rendition of music and emotion. Rahat’s popular “Sajda” number, which was followed by the well-known “Mast Kalandar” sung by the Wadalli brothers, left the audience spell-bound.

Dikshit, while congratulating the Organizing Committee (OC) for the successful handover of the baton, reiterated Delhi’s preparedness for the Delhi Games. It was a hope seconded by Fennel, a shot in the arm for the OC which has been at the receiving end of much criticism from the CGF for tardy preparations in the past.

Sharif said: ‘‘This extravaganza (Delhi Games 2010) will not only bring closer the people of the subcontinent but also the participating countries.’’ Kalmadi nodded in appreciation. ‘‘It’s a great day for sports in India. It is because of Pakistan’s efforts that India got the Games and it shows that our relationship with Pakistan will improve if we concentrate on sports ties,’’ he said. Kalmadi reiterated that preparations were on track and all the infrastructure is coming up well in time. ‘‘We are just 100 days away from the Games. Let me tell you that everything is in place, including the infrastructure. Everything is on track,” he said.

The baton will now travel across the country covering a distance of 20,000 km, will pass through the hands of more than 5,000 baton-bearers across 200 cities and thousands of villages before arriving in Delhi for the opening ceremony of the Games on October 3, 2010.

Queens Baton Arrived with Full Glory

Indian border guards with Pakistan have been put on maximum alert as India prepares to welcome the Queen's Baton Relay today for the Commonwealth Games 2010 in October. This is the first time the baton will enter India after covering nearly 170,000 km across several Commonwealth nations in different continents. The baton is scheduled to enter India from Pakistan through the Attari border at 9.25 a.m.

It will then pass through most Indian states and union territories, covering over 20,000 km before reaching New Delhi on September 30. The Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the 553-km long Radcliffe Line between India and Pakistan in Punjab, has stepped up security at the Attari-Wagah joint border check-post. Himmat Singh, the BSF inspector general in Punjab, told IANS: "Security forces, which remain alert along the international border, have been put on maximum alert for the baton relay.

Normally, at the border we have spectators during the evening retreat ceremony. But this function is scheduled in the morning. Therefore, we have to take extra care while making security arrangements," he added. Special security arrangements have been made by the BSF and night patrolling has been enhanced. Besides ensuring security, the BSF will put up its bands to play during the arrival ceremony. Traditional 'bhangra' and 'gidda' dancers and other performers will welcome the baton.

Several VIPs, including Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, senior politicians and reputed sportspersons, are expected at the ceremony. The event will be marked by a special event in which Syed Arif Hassan, Pakistan Olympics Association president would hand over the baton to Suresh Kalmadi, Indian Olympics Association (IOA) chief.

Earlier on Tuesday a huge participation was witnessed at the first CWG Run initiated by The TOI at Amritsar itself. The 2 km run began at Company Garden and culminated at Guru Nanak Stadium. The masses cheered at the 'Shera' the mascot of the CWG. Navjot Singh Siddhu, former cricketer and now Member of Parliament and chief guest for the occasion flagged off the run. He also distributed cash prizes and special honors to five international players from Amritsar.

The countdown has begun

The arrival of Queen's Baton has upped the spirits as just 100 days are left after which India will host the greatest event in her independent history. As the Indian capital gears to host its largest sporting extravaganza, the crucial pieces are beginning to fall in place albeit a little late in some cases. Stadia are getting completed, Metro links becoming operational, security plans finalized and related infrastructure projects nearing completion.

The organizing committee is confident of putting up a good show for the October 3-14 games, for which a whopping Rs.15,000 crore (Rs.150 billion/over $3 billion) has been allocated. Its confidence is boosted by the successful completion of recent international sporting events - hockey, shooting, boxing as well as IPL cricket matches in the capital - which were considered test events for the games. The games will have 17 disciplines to be held at six venue clusters and five stand alone stadia in the metropolis of 17 million people, one of the most crowded in the world. A majority of the stadia have been inaugurated, but there still remains a question mark over completion of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.

The sale of tickets started early this month, and the official ticketing agency, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC), is expecting to sell 1.7 million tickets.

Frenzied activity in Delhi

In a recently held business conference 102 days before the opening ceremony. Sheila Dixit, chief minister of Delhi exhibited confidence that by the time Queen's Baton arrives in Delhi, the city will be ready to host the costliest Commonwealth Games till date.

The Delhi government and civic bodies are running against time to complete games related projects roads, flyovers, bridges, underpasses, parking places, beautification and street scaping to make the capital look like what the authorities never tire of saying "a world class city". Of the total 24 infrastructure related projects, 10 have been completed while the rest are likely to be completed by July. The Public Works Department (PWD) is behind in completing the street scaping work. At some main city roads in south Delhi, street scaping work is progressing at a snail's pace with roadsides and footpaths dug up and rubble strewn all around. The civic body is also carrying out 40 games related projects worth Rs.1, 000 crore (Rs.10 billion/$225 million). They include construction of parking facility in various parts of the city as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

A cause of major concern is Delhi's chaotic traffic and the poor public transport system. The authorities have decided to have dedicated lanes for the games traffic to ensure quick movement. "The games lanes will be marked with paint, just like the bus lanes are now," Ajay Chaddha, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), told IANS. "There will be relevant signage too. We will be providing regular guidelines and information on whether the games lanes are operational and at what time. The lanes will be for movement of games officials, athletes and other related traffic." Delhi Metro, the capital's showpiece which is expected to cater to thousands of spectators during the games, is the only agency running ahead of others in completing its projects.

The only Metro projects that remain to be completed before the games are the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line and Airport Express Link. Both are scheduled to be completed by September. The Indira Gandhi International Airport will have a brand new Terminal 3 (T3) with world class facilities. It will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 3. Several countries scheduled to participate in the games have raised concerns over security, but the government has firmly said that they need not have any fears.

The authorities have approved installation of an integrated security system (ISS), estimated to cost Rs.370 crore (Rs 3.7 billion/85 million USD), to cover all the venues. According to Delhi Police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal, the police are "totally prepared" for the Commonwealth Games and have promised "an absolutely safe" sporting event. The Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee is training 30,000 volunteers to present Delhi's culture and etiquette to visitors. The authorities are also training thousands of bus, taxi, and auto drivers to converse in English and be tourist-friendly.

The Wait is Over Queens Baton to enter India today

Attari, around 30km from the Sikh holy city, Amritsar, witnessed hectic activity on Thursday. Preparations were on in full swing to welcome the Queen’s Baton for the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi that will enter Punjab from Pakistan on Friday morning.

As a prelude to the big event, Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi and his Pakistani counterpart Sayed Arif Hassan discussed last-minute arrangements for over half-an-hour at ground zero. They also held detailed discussions on synchronization of the ceremony and gave on-the-spot instructions to event managers.

Ignoring the scorching heat, Kalmadi, who had come prepared for the rehearsal, took the Baton from his counterpart in Pakistan before walking up to the BSF Conference Hall. Later, he also offered cold drinks to Hassan and the jawans of Pakistan Rangers. Besides a large contingent of artists from various states, local children also flocked to the Attari border for the full dress rehearsal of the ceremony. A group of children from India and Pakistan under a joint initiative of The Times of India and Jang group, Aman Ki Asha also rehearsed tying the ends of rope bearing small handkerchiefs carrying peace messages.

From an elaborate cultural extravaganza that will see Pakistani singing icon Rahat Fateh Ali create a cultural fusion with Indian qawali stars, the Wadalli brothers, to the handover of the baton to India’s sporting star and Olympic medalist Vijender Singh and woman boxing legend Mary Kom, the show promises to be a fitting curtain-raiser to the Delhi Games 2010 in October.

Kalmadi said, ‘‘It is a matter of immense pride for the entire nation. The Queen’s Baton Relay will act as a great unifying force for the country. We have broken ground for more sportspersons (to participate) but most importantly, we are here at the mecca of the Sikhs to receive the baton.’’ The enthusiasm was more than apparent as a host of local dignitaries, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, turned out to welcome the unveiling of OC plans. The Baton enters India from the Wagah Border on Friday. It will first be handed over to Kalmadi and thereafter to CWG president Michael Fennell, Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and several other senior government officials.

The relay will officially be started by Vijendra Singh and Mary Kom, who will run with the baton for a few kilometres. Speculation is rife that a sportstar from the Pakistan sporting arena will also be part of the show. Others present on the occasion included MP and chairman of the media committee of organising committee, Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010, Tarlochan Singh, officer on special duty, CWG, Jagmohan Bhanot, BSF inspector general Himmat Singh and deputy inspector general Mohd Aquil.

Singh and his deputy, PS Gill, reviewed security at the border. BSF claimed to have taken all measures to ensure the ceremony is not marred by any untoward incident. It has also conveyed its security concern to Pakistan Rangers, asking them to keep a close watch on pro-Taliban elements, who had earlier attacked Indian villages with rockets.

BSF has issued special entry passes to visiting artists, while policemen have been deployed at every nook and corner to ensure the security of dignitaries and sportspersons expected on the big day.

After the handover on Friday, the baton will travel across 100 cities. From Punjab, it will travel to J&K and onwards, before reaching Delhi on September 30. The secret message of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II will be opened on October 3 when the opening ceremony is held.

The Wait is Over: Queen’s Baton to enter India on Friday

After Covering 70 Countries & 1.7L Km, It Will Visit 200 Cities Across India In 100 Days

The countdown to the Commonwealth Games 2010 has finally began. On June 25, the Queen’s Baton Relay comes back to India via the Wagah-Attari border from Pakistan after almost eight months. This will start the last leg of the journey culminating in Delhi on October 3, at the opening ceremony of the Delhi Games 2010.

The baton, which has traveled 70 countries and 1, 70,000km in 240 days, will be visiting 200 cities in 28 states and seven union territories on its 100 days’ trip through the country. The baton will be welcomed on Friday by the chief minister of the host city, Sheila Dikshit, as well as the IOC president and organizing committee (OC) head, Suresh Kalmadi. The CM of Punjab along with a host of other dignitaries will also be present at the welcoming function.

While OC officials refused to name the sportspersons who will be the baton bearer, Kalmadi claimed it would be a decision taken by the state government, what is apparent is the elaborate plans in the offing for promoting the Delhi Games through the baton. A mammoth task considering around 200 cities and villages form ports of call for the baton’s journey.

Interestingly, the baton will be accompanied by three escort runners who are armed forces personnel, besides a crew of OC officials, and the baton bearers. The Indian Army is also pitching in with various forms of transport that will be used during the length of the trip helicopters, battle tanks, submarine and ship.

However, security will be provided by the state governments, said Kalmadi an important issue since the baton travels through some sensitive areas like Raipur where Naxal attacks have taken place in the recent past. The baton convoy, which consists of 25 vehicles, will have Hero Honda as the presentation partner, revealed OC officials.

Added Kalmadi, ‘‘The baton relay will have over 5,000 baton bearers, and we hope that people from all walks of life would participate in the relay.’’

The relay in India will start from the Wagah-Attari border and pass through Punjab and J&K, to travel on to Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will reach Uttar Pradesh on July 8, and travel on to Patna in Bihar, and then on to Bagdogra. The northeast relay will commence from Bagdogra on July 15 and move towards Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

On August 1, the baton will fly from Agartala to Kolkata. The journey will then continue through the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and thereafter, move towards the southern states and visit Andhra Pradesh, traversing through the Andaman and Nicobar islands (Port Blair) via Chennai. It will then go to Kerala, fly down to Kavaratti in the Lakshwadeep Islands, and return back to Kochi.

In the final phase of the relay, the baton will visit Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and reach New Delhi on September 30.

During the 100-day national tour, the Queen’s Baton will visit the capital of each of India’s 28 states and seven union territories, apart from many other cities along the way, covering more than 20,000 kilometers. By the end of its journey, the baton will have traversed over 1,90,000 kilometers in 340 days, making the Queens Baton Relay 2010 Delhi one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

Indians proudly welcome Games baton in New Zealand

Auckland’s Indian community welcomed the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 Queen’s Baton in New Zealand at a small ceremony and a relay run at the Manukau Square

Though an appeal was made for twenty runners to participate in the ceremony, far more turned up and proudly carried the exquisitely designed baton around the square in a relay run. A diverse range of people children, youth, middle age and the elderly from various Indian communities participated in the run.

Speaking at the event, Jagmohan Bhanot, the Organizing Committee’s Officer on Special Duty for Communications said this year’s Games would be the biggest and best ever and outlined the preparations.

A whole new world class terminal was being built at New Delhi’s international airport for the occasion and would be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on July 7, he said.

The renovated Jawaharlal Nehru stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies besides other sporting events like boxing will be held has also been completed along with five other major sporting venues. The Games village was also complete, he said.

Some 40,000 rooms were being readied to receive over 100,000 guests expected to arrive from all over the world to watch the games and dedicated subcommittees for nearly every aspect of organization were geared to make the Games successful and memorable he said.

Speaking to Indian Weekender exclusively the previous evening, Mr Bhanot allayed fears of security that have been expressed in the New Zealand media. He acknowledged that there was a concern about security and it needed to be strengthened. But countries had sent in their representatives for security audits and leading nations had found them to be satisfactory, he said.

“There is no truth that there is fear in any quarter about the safety at the Games. The UK has announced last week that it will send its largest ever contingent and Australia has said it has reviewed the arrangements in India. Chef de Missions of the 71 participating countries were in Delhi last month and have announced that after reviewing security arrangements they are fully satisfied,” he added.

He also clarified any doubts raised in the media from time to time about the facilities being ready on time.

“There is no question of that happening,” he said, pointing to the rapid progress made in completing the sporting and other infrastructure including the new airport terminal and refurbishment of hotels in the past few months.

Mr Bhanot was in the country as a representative of the Games Organizing Committee. MP Kanwaljit Bakshi, Deputy Indian High Commissioner Kunal Roy and several community leaders were also present at the event that was organized and coordinated by Sunil Kaushal of ANZ National Bank.

The Commonwealth Games' Queen's Baton began its 170,000 km journey around the world’s Commonwealth nations when the Queen handed it over to the President of India Smt Pratibha Patil at a ceremony in London on October 29 last year.

It reached New Zealand on Monday as part of its journey through 71 countries. The baton will conclude its round-the-world run when it re-enters India through Pakistan at the Wagah border on June 25 and continues on its last leg of 20,000 km through the states of India. The Commonwealth Games begin in Delhi on October 3.

Unlike previous batons, this one, designed in India, is a hi tech piece of equipment that has elements that change color according to the flag colors of the host country that it is visiting guided by a GPRS device. It also has a camera and a voice recorder capturing events around the world.

The Auckland Indian Association is also hosting the public viewing of the Queen Baton (today) Tuesday, May 18, from 4-6pm at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Auckland Indian Association, 145 New North Road , Eden Terrace, Mt Eden, Auckland

For more information on the Delhi 2010 Queens Baton Relay and to keep up to date on the Batons progress please visit http://cwgdelhi2010.org/batonrelay2010/

Queen’s Baton in Vancouver

Canada's summer athletes may be riding the wave of enthusiasm from the Vancouver Winter Olympics into the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi come October.

The Queen's Baton Relay – which is the Commonwealth Games equivalent of the Olympic torch relay, minus a lot of the hoopla – came through Toronto yesterday and it brought out some of the athletes preparing to compete for Canada in India. The baton, which contains a message from the Queen, is doing a 190,000 kilometer tour through the 71 nations and territories comprising the Commonwealth of Nations.

Among those carrying the fancy baton (you don't see one of these at kids' track meets) were a pair of Summer Olympians, wrestler Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton (left in above picture) and shooter Avianna Chao of Newmarket.

Okuffo was able to get a four-day gig working in hospitality for RBC during the Vancouver Games.

“The energy there was unbelievable,” said Akuffo. “You could feel the unity and you knew that was rippling throughout the country. You knew that was just a start. It was like when somebody throws a pebble into the lake. It just rejuvenated you in a way that nothing else could have done. That's what the Olympics do. It unites the country, it unites the world and Vancouver did an amazing job of doing so.”

Chao was also still feeling the positive vibe of the Vancouver Olympics.

“I was just inspired as a Canadian,” she said. “Wow. I mean like Joannie Rochette, that tragedy and then she turned it around and made the Games her own and showed the world. That's unbelievable. To me, that's true Olympic spirit. I was like 'Wow, I've got to work harder.' That's what I felt.”

The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be held Oct. 3-14 in Delhi and are expected to feature most of Canada's top athletes. CBC-TV announced yesterday they will be covering the Games.

“You think about it, not too long ago we had the torch relay come through,” said Akuffo. “That's the beginning of the Olympics. Now, you look at the Queen's baton, that's letting you know that something is on the horizon. It makes it so exciting coming through Toronto because you know it's a huge Indian community also. We're going through their home but they also have their brothers here so it makes it very exciting.”

High Society: Bob Mackin from 24 Hours is reporting that Sports Minister Gary Lunn's hotel bill from Feb. 4 to March 1 in Vancouver and Whistler totaled $10,213.49, or an average of $392.83 a night. Deputy minister Judith LaRocque, the Olympic mission coordinator for the feds, spent an average of $247.55 average.

The athletes might want to use that as leverage next time Lunn says he doesn't have money in the coffers for them.

Rising Numbers: The Quebec speed skating federation has broken the 5,000-member barrier and now has 5,128 members from 48 clubs due to an increase in interest after the Olympics. Now, they just need to get a roof on their Oval.

Hrab leaving: Christian Hrab, high performance director of Canada Snowboard, is stepping down on June 30. He helped guide the team to three Olympic medals (two gold) and great success on the World Cup the last two seasons.

“It has been such a joy to work with so many passionate people from world class athletes, to a highly competent integrated service team to world leading coaches,” said Hrab in a statement. “I am sad to leave all these great people, but the job is done. I am pleased to be moving on to other projects and new challenges.”

Smooth passage of Queen’s Baton Relay in Pakistan, assures Government

The 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee today said the government has assured them a smooth passage of the Queen's Baton Relay, particularly in its Pakistan leg in June next year.

During a visit to the OC headquarters here, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao gave the assurance to support the QBR which is now in Africa after its Europe leg.

"Rao reiterated all support from the Ministry of External Affairs for the on-going Queen's Baton Relay, which is now in Africa. She said the Ministry would particularly facilitate the conduct of the Queen's Baton Relay in Pakistan," a release from the OC said.

Rao was briefed by the OC on the various functional areas of the Games.

She showed keen interest in the working of the OC and its various functional areas.

Guernsey takes up games baton

THE Queen’s Baton for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is in Guernsey.

Having so far been taken around the UK and Jersey, on Wednesday the baton will go to Gibraltar. By the time it arrives in India in June it will have been taken to 71 jurisdictions.

Its journey around India will end in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ready for the start of the games on 3 October.

It was escorted into the island by a team of three.

‘We have enjoyed Jersey,’ said Delhi 2010 organization committee representative Avny Lavasa.
‘Now we are looking forward to seeing Guernsey.’

A member of the team will be with the baton at all times. It is transported in a padlocked case.
Miss Lavasa said it was not too hard to keep up with the baton.

‘There were a lot of running relays in Jersey, but it was still good fun,’ she said.

‘Nobody has dropped it so far. It is robust, but we hope no one will drop it.’

Guernsey Commonwealth Games Association representative Deputy Peter Sirett said there would be a lot going on over the next three days.

‘It’s visiting four primary schools and a few sporting events,’ he said.

‘It will also be on display. We want to try and give everyone the chance to see it.’

The baton will be taken to St Martin’s, Forest, Vauvert and Castel schools as well as Government House. It will be on display at Beau Sejour today from 3.45-4.30pm.

Queen's Baton Relay Today