Queen's Baton's date with Mysore

The Queen's Baton relay, which is similar to the Olympic Torch relay, is held around the world prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games.

The Queen's Baton will arrive in Mysore on September 1 from Ooty, as part of its Karnataka leg.

A grand tradition associated with the prestigious event, the baton relay which commenced from Buckingham Palace in October 2009, will traverse the State till September 7 before proceeding to Goa. Queen Elizabeth II formally inaugurated the relay by reading out a message which will be carried to 70 Commonwealth nations before the relay's arrival in New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games to be held on October 3 this year. The Queen's message will be read aloud at the games.

In the process, the baton would have traversed over 1.7 lakh km over eight months, and is expected to cover about 20,000 km after entering India. It is reckoned that nearly 5,000 relay runners will be involved in carrying the baton in India.

The relay from Mysore will leave for Bangalore on September 2, proceed to Hassan on September 4 and will touch Mangalore and Bhatkal before entering Panaji.

At a meeting in the city on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan said the district administration would make all arrangements to ensure a grand welcome to the Queen's Baton relay and ensure adequate security for the runners. It was also decided to constitute a committee in this regard. The relay is a tradition that began with the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff.