Islanders prepare to embrace the Queen’s Baton relay

The Queen’s Baton arrives from Belize tonight as the relay reaches its Bermuda leg.

The island is the 60th stop on the Baton’s 118,000 miles and 248-day journey throughout the 71 nations of the Commonwealth before it reaches the venue for this summer Games, Glasgow.

At 7:20pm tonight, a fanfare of trumpets will welcome the Queen’s Baton on its whirlwind weekend visit. 

Bermuda Olympic Association [BOA] Secretary General Philip Guishard. Minister of Tourism Development and Tourism Shawn Crockwell, BOA President Judy Simons and Commonwealth Games silver medaillst John Morbey will be among the
dignitaries at L.F. Wade International Airport to welcome the Baton.

The Baton will visit many of Bermuda’s most significant and beautiful locations, including King’s Square in St. George, Crystal Cave, Palm Grove in Devonshire, the National Sports Centre, Warwick Long Bay and WindReach Recreational Village. Additionally, early on Saturday afternoon, runners will also carry the Baton along Front, Reid, Queen and Church Streets. 

 Bermuda’s five Commonwealth Games medallists, Clarance ‘Nicky’ Saunders (bronze, high jump, Brisbane, Australia 1982 and gold, high jump, Auckland, New Zealand 1990); John Morbey (silver, long jump, Kingston, Jamaica 1966), Antoine Jones and Conrad Lister (silver, tenpin bowling, men’s doubles, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998) and Brian Wellman (bronze, triple jump, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 1994) will be featured at the Annual Exhibition and at other Relay stops.

BOA President Judy Simons said: “We have planned an exciting programme and have worked hard to ensure that as many Bermudians as possible have the opportunity to participate in the Relay, either as Baton bearers or as spectators. 

“We are confident that the Queen’s Baton Relay team will leave Bermuda on Sunday filled with wonderful memories and bearing stunning footage and photographic images of their stay in Bermuda.”

Schedule

Saturday, 8:45am

King’s Square, St. George

10am Palm Grove, Devonshire

10:45am Government House, Pembroke

11:30am National Sports Centre, Devonshire

12pm Birdcage, Front Street, Hamilton

12:30pm Cabinet Office, Hamilton

1:45pm 141 Front Street, Hamilton

2:15pm Annual Exhibition, Botanical Gardens, Paget

3:30pm Warwick Long Bay and South Shore, Warwick

4pm WindReach Recreational Village, Warwick

Sunday, 10am Crystal Cave, Hamilton Parish