The CGAJ will welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay to Jersey on Wednesday 13th September; while on Island the Baton will be present at a number public and private of events.
The QBR Team will be officially welcomed to Jersey at a private reception being hosted by the Lieutenant Governor at Government House on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday morning the Baton will visit patients at the General Hospital, St Saviour’s Hospital and Overdale. It will then be relayed by Acorn Performance Pathway athletes on foot around the Air Display Arena on Thursday afternoon – this is the prime opportunity for the public to engage with the Baton, it will be departing the Radisson Blu Hotel at 2pm.
On Friday morning the Baton will be visiting the CGAJ twinned schools and in the afternoon the Baton will be presented at the States Chambers at 1230 and then walked from the Royal Square to the Town Hall by Connetable Simon Crowcroft and d’Auvergne School.
The QBR Visit will conclude with a private Reception being held at Jersey Zoo for CGAJ invited athletes and guests and Jersey Zoo Members. Here the Baton will be relayed around the grounds by CGAJ Athletes and Zoo Staff.
The Queen’s Baton carries a personal message to the athletes of the Commonwealth from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on a 388-day and 230,000km journey from Buckingham Palace to the Opening Ceremony of the Games, where the message is removed from the Baton and read aloud by Her Majesty or a representative. GC2018 have confirmed that HRH Prince Charles will attend the Games to read the Queen’s message.
The Relay began at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, when Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II placed her message to the Commonwealth into the GC2018 Baton. From London, the Queen’s Baton will travel sequentially through Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania, spending between two and four days in each Commonwealth nation and territory. This will give a third of the world’s population the opportunity to share a memorable experience with the Baton.
When the Queen’s Baton arrives on the Gold Coast for the XXI Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, the entire Commonwealth will have been a part of the journey. On an ambitious journey to connect with a modern and diverse Commonwealth, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) will achieve two records – it will be the longest and the most accessible relay in Commonwealth history.
The distinctive loop design will be the centerpiece of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR), a Games tradition that celebrates the Commonwealth’s diversity, inspires community pride and excites people about the world-class festival of sports and culture to come. Made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways, the Baton’s design has been inspired by the region’s vibrant spirit, indigenous heritage and with sustainability in mind.