Queen Elizabeth launches baton relay for Commonwealth Games – KIRO 7 News Seattle

LONDON – (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II held her first major engagement at Buckingham Palace since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak a year and a half ago when she presided over the baton for next year’s Commonwealth Games at headquarters on Thursday England – City of Birmingham.

The 95-year-old monarch handed the baton for the games, often referred to as “friendly games”, to four-time Paralympic gold medalist Kadeena Cox, who has just won two tournaments in Tokyo.

30-year-old Cox took the baton on a short trip around the nearby Queen Victoria Memorial in central London before handing it over to another competitor.

“It’s really special,” she said. “I fall into this category where I am very diverse – I am a female, disabled, black athlete. I think that’s what the Commonwealth represents and especially in Birmingham that is so diverse. “

The Commonwealth Games, formerly known as the Empire Games, take place every four years and mostly encompass countries and territories with former colonial ties to the UK, including Australia, Canada, India and South Africa.

The Queen’s Baton Relay from Birmingham 2022, as it is officially called, will now begin its 145,000 kilometer journey around the world.

From Birmingham Airport, the baton will make its first stop on the eastern Mediterranean island state of Cyprus on October 9, the Maldives.

The squadron, which involves 7,500 staff members, will travel through 72 Commonwealth nations and territories over 294 days and return to Birmingham for the opening ceremony on July 28th.

The Queen, who spent much of the pandemic at Windsor Castle, west of London, wore a bright orange coat dress and hat to match Thursday’s event.

She was assisted by her youngest son, Prince Edward, who is the Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Others present at the palace included the Commonwealth of Nations Secretary General Patricia Scotland and athletes preparing to take part in the Games.

In recognition of the Queen’s 70-year reign, which will be celebrated next year, a strand of platinum has been incorporated into the baton.

The baton will carry high-tech equipment, including a 360-degree camera and atmospheric sensors that use laser technology to analyze environmental conditions. It will also contain a message from the Queen, which will be read aloud at the opening ceremony.

To reduce the relay’s carbon footprint, the relay baton will travel nearly half the distance it bounced across the planet on Australia’s Gold Coast prior to the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was London’s Mayor at the time of the 2012 Olympics, raved about the Commonwealth Assembly next year for the Queen’s platinum anniversary.

“Britain is honored to host these Games in the brilliant city of Birmingham, which brings together 72 nations and territories from around the world and is celebrating a year of pride and celebration for that country,” he said in a tweet.

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