The Commonwealth Games Queens Baton Relay which breezed into Nigeria on April 1 will have a busy day today as the CGA officials present the Baton to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, in his office at Alausa, Ikeja.
The Queens Baton Relay is the main curtain raiser for the Commonwealth Games scheduled to hold in Gold Coast, Australia next year.
The Queens Baton to be led by President of Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) in Nigeria, Habu Gumel and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung and the accompanying officials Gideon Sam, Adam Best, Patricia Quayle, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert and Colin Briggs will make speeches before relays by dignitaries and athletes within the Government House.
According to the Public Relation Officer of the NOC, Tony Ubani, the will Baton depart Alausa for the National Stadium where children with disabilities (Special athletes) welcome the Baton with cultural displays and choreography.
There will be speeches by CGA officials, Australia High Commission and QBR Team.
Commonwealth medalists, Olympians and Paralympians will have their turn by carrying the Baton from the Stadium through Ojuelegba, Surulere and back to the National Stadium. The children with disabilities will continue sports activities after the Queens Baton departs the stadium to Hearts of Gold Children’s Hospice in Surulere.
Main Organising Committee Chairman, Mrs Hauwa Kulu-Akinyemi urged Lagosians to come out en-masse to cheer the Queens Baton Relay at the National Stadium
The Queen’s Baton Relay is the traditional curtain raiser to the Commonwealth Games and has been an inclusion in the Games programme since the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games in Wales.