The Queen’s Baton will relay will arrive in the country today at 11am ahead of the quadrennial Queen’s Baton Relay event set to precede the next Commonwealth Games.
According to the Queen’s Baton Relay Planning Committee chairman, Mr Frederick Lartey Otu, the Baton will be presented to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
That will pave the way for the two-day Queen’s Baton Relay event that will be held in Accra, Tema and the Ashanti region tomorrow and Wednesday.
According to Mr. Otu, the presentation of the Baton to the president today was part of a few changes made to the earlier programme of activities announced for the event.
He said with today’s presentation, the relay will now begin at the British Council in Accra tomorrow with 100 personalities including politicians, celebrities and other eminent persons.
It will then pass through the Liberation Road (Ako Adjei Interchange), Opeibea House Traffic Light, the Stanbic Heights area, the Airport Bypass Road and continue to the Giffard Road to end the first leg at the Elwak Stadium.
According to him, the Baton Relay will continue to Tema where it officially starts at the VALCO Roundabout and move through the Harbour Road to end at the Tema Fishing Harbour.
On Wednesday, the Baton Relay moves to Kumasi in the Ashanti region, commencing at Manhyia where the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu adds a royal and traditional touch to the event.
From Manhyia, the Baton Relay moves to the Rattry Park and continue to Bonwire and Ntonsu, two separate historic towns with rich traditional stories about Kente and the Adinkra symbol.
Mr Otu said the Baton will leave Ghana on October 28 to Cameroon, its next destination among the 72 nations and territories in the Commonwealth.
From the commencement from Buckingham Palace on October 7, the Baton has been to Cyprus, Malta, Nigeria, Gambia and Sierra Leone.
It will end at the Birmingham 2022 opening ceremony for the Games after which the Queen receives it.
The Games will be held from July 28 to August 8 with over 4,500 athletes expected to be in attendance.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
