The ‘Birmingham 2022’ Queen’s Baton Relay reached Sri Lanka yesterday (3). Photo Lalith Perera[/caption]
By Chathura Ranasinghe
The ‘Birmingham 2022’ Queen’s Baton Relay reached Sri Lanka yesterday (3) at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Queen’s Baton reached Sri Lanka from the Maldives and will move to key sites in the country on 4 and 5 January (today and tomorrow) before heading off to Bangladesh.
Yesterday, a special reception was held at the UK High Commission in Colombo with the participation of the National Olympic Committee’s newly-elected President Suresh Subramaniam.
The Queen’s Baton was welcomed by Sarah Hulton, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Subramaniam, and some leading Sri Lankan athletes.
The 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay is an epic journey across the Commonwealth, with the Queen’s Baton visiting all 72 commonwealth nations and territories reaching Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
The global journey of the Baton will conclude at the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony where the final Baton-bearer will return the Baton to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II. The 22nd Commonwealth Games are to be held from 28 July to 8 August in Birmingham, England.