Queen's Baton Relay
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GC2018
The City of Rockingham has been announced as an Australian Celebration Community for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II set the baton in motion during a star-studded ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London on Monday 13 March 2017. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex, The Queen placed her message to the Commonwealth and its athletes inside the distinctive baton. With the message on board, the baton’s first port of call was Sierra Leone, the first stop in its remarkable 388-day adventure.
After visiting all nations and territories of the Commonwealth, the baton will start its Australian journey on 25 December 2017, bound for the GC 2018 Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018.
The baton will visit Rockingham on 23 February 2018. The baton will be passed five times as it makes its way through the City of Rockingham.
Batonbearers
Approximately 3,800 batonbearers will be given the opportunity to carry the Queen’s Baton in Australia.
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The vision for batonbearers is to share the dream and carry with pride the spirit of the Games, embracing the diversity and values of the Commonwealth. They will inspire others with their passion and commitment to sport and community and be excited to represent and promote the Commonwealth Games.
The nomination and selection criteria for batonbearers was established to ensure fairness, equity, and that a wide cross section of the community were given the opportunity to carry the Queen’s Baton.
A batonbearer must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- has achieved something extraordinary or inspired others to achieve something extraordinary
- has made a significant contribution to either sport, education, the arts, culture, charity or within their community
- has excelled, or aspires to excel athletically or personally
- contributes to a fun, friendly, vibrant and inclusive community.
Other eligibility rules:
- The minimum age of a batonbearer is 10 years old as at 25 December 2017 (the start date of the relay in Australia).
- All nominees must be Australian citizens or lawfully entitled to reside in Australia during the relay period (25 December 2017– 4 April 2018).
- A nominator must explain in 100 words or less how the nominee meets one or more of the batonbearer criteria and why they should become a batonbearer.
Nominations are now closed. Stay tuned to find out who will be the batonbearer for Rockingham.
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.PNG.aspx?width=300&height=227 "Map of the relay route")
Where is the Queen's Baton Now?
We will provide regular updates to inform you of the baton’s journey.
Queen's Baton Relay: Sierra Leone
With the message on board, the baton’s first port of call was Sierra Leone, the beginning of its remarkable 388-day adventure.
Queen's Baton Relay: Ghana
The Queen's Baton Relay visits Ghana.
Queen's Baton Relay: Cameroon
Cameroon
Queen's Baton Relay: Nigeria
Nigeria
The Queen's Baton Relay: Trinidad and Tobago
The Queen's Baton has reached the Carribean! Firstly it visited the islands of Trinidad and Tobago – the culture capital of the Caribbean, home to people from Africa, India, Europe, the Middle East and China, with a small portion of native American Indian culture.
Queen's Baton Relay: Grenada
Next stop was Grenada, the world’s largest exporters of nutmeg and mace.
Queen's Baton Relay: St Vincent and the Grenadines
Then it was on to St Vincent and the Grenadines in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Queen's Baton Relay: Malawi
The Queen’s Baton has covered a few more kilometres since the last update as it continues to criss-cross Africa.
Malawi, a narrow strip of land in the East Africa Rift Valley, was the 11th nation on the itinerary.
Queen's Baton Relay: Namibia
It passed through Namibia on the west coast of the continent – famous for its resident population of cheetahs and other wildlife.
Queen's Baton Relay: St Lucia St Josephs Convent Castries
The Queens Baton has been continuing its journey through the sun soaked islands of the Caribbean, attracting big crowds wherever it went.
Queen's Baton Relay: Barbados
It visited Barbados, one of the Carribbean’s sporting powerhouses. Local volleyball legend Jayberry Goodridge holds the Baton with pride at the national monument in Bridgetown.
Queen's Baton Relay: Dominica
A special dance to welcome the Baton to Dominica.
Queens's Baton Relay: Antigua and Barbuda
From Dominica it was onwards to Antigua and Barbuda.
Queen's Baton Relay: St Kitts and Nevis
Next stop was St Kitts and Nevis, which is a federation of two little islands. Here local table tennis champ Angelisa Freeman holds the Baton under a spectacular 400 year old Saman tree in Basseterre, capital of the federation.
The Baton has a few more tropical paradises to travel through before it leaves the Carribean.
Queen's Baton Relay: Montserrat
The Baton then went on to Montserrat. A tiny island home to just 5,000 people. Since the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano in 1997 many people have moved off the island, but as the rebuilding process continues, the population is starting to recover.
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