02 May 2017

The iconic Queen’s Baton landed in Botswana from Namibia on Monday ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth games to be held in Australia.

The symbolic baton, which carries a message from Queen Elizabeth II that calls for the Commonwealth athletes to come together in a peaceful and friendly competition, will be in the country until tomorrow morning, before heading to Mozambique.

The baton was received at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport by Gaborone City Mayor, Kagiso Thutlwe.

Also present at the airport to receive it was deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo and Botswana’s 400-metre runner, Amantle Montsho.

Receiving the relay baton, Mayor Thutlwe said Botswana, as a former British colony, has continued ties with other Commonwealth nations.

He said Botswana had been participating in the Commonwealth Games since 1974, except in 1978, but the country had never missed any edition of the games since then.

“We will be taking the baton to the Three Dikgosi monuments and as you are aware the three Dikgosi went to Britain to seek protection,” he said.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) regional vice president for Africa, Miriam Moyo said the baton was designed in Australia, where the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held.

She said the baton was then sent to the Queen, who on March 13 handed it to CGF to take it around as a relay from one country to another, adding that the first country to receive the baton was Sierra Leone. Botswana is the 14th country to receive it.

“We have four countries to go because in Africa we have 18 Commonwealth countries, who are going to receive the baton,” she said.

Furher, Moyo stressed the importance of the baton to CGF because it served as  a wake up call to all athletes by reminding them that the Commonwealth games are around the corner.

She said the games would be staged at the Gold Coast-Australia in April 2018, therefore all stake holders had a period of one year to fully prepare for the competitions.

The Queen’s baton relay public relations and media operations specialist, Keri Algar said in an interview that from Botswana, the baton would be heading to Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and then South Africa before heading to the Caribbean Islands.

Algar said the significance of the baton was to inspire community pride and excite people about the coming world-class festival of sports and culture. ENDS