Commonwealth Queen’s baton to reach India June 25

After travelling through 71 countries, the Queen’s baton will reach India June 25 ahead of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. The relay will be the longest ever in the history of the games.

The Queen’s baton is currently in the world’s smallest island nation of Nauru in the South Pacific Ocean on day 188 Tuesday of the relay, which was flagged off by Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace Oct 29, 2009.

From the Pacific islands, the baton will travel to Australia and New Zealand, before making landfall on the Asian continent at Singapore.

The specially-designed baton, made of light-weight aluminium and plated with gold, will wind its way through Asia, before reaching India from Pakistan June 25.

When it finally touches Indian soil, the baton would have travelled through 71 nations and territories for a total of 340 days covering 190,000 kilometres.

Within the country, the baton will travel another 20,000 kilometres, which will be a serpentine journey through 28 states and seven union territories before ending at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Oct 3.