Commonwealth Games Baton Revealed
The baton which will make its way across the Commonwealth ahead of the 2014 Games in Glasgow has been unveiled.
The hand-crafted baton is made of titanium, wood and granite, and will display an illuminated personal message from the Queen, calling athletes to Scotland's largest city for the start of the Commonwealth Games.
The baton will begin its journey on October 9 at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace before travelling 100,000 miles to all 71 Commonwealth nations and territories, and arriving back in Scotland in June next year.
On its final leg, it will travel the length and breadth of Scotland on the way to its ultimate destination, the opening ceremony, where the Queen's message will be read and the Games will be declared open.
The baton was unveiled at Glasgow's Riverside Museum, when it was formally presented to Lord Smith of Kelvin, chairman of Glasgow 2014, by Scotland's most successful Commonwealth athlete Allan Wells, who was recently announced as a Games Ambassador.
The former Scottish Olympic and Commonwealth gold sprinter and winner of the 100m Olympic title at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games was the final batonbearer at the last Commonwealth Games on Scottish soil in Edinburgh in 1986.
Wells will also be among the first batonbearers for the Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton Relay when it leaves from Buckingham Palace later this year.
Lord Smith of Kelvin said: ``The Queen's Baton Relay is a great tradition of the Commonwealth Games and a wonderful opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland to share our culture and heritage with the citizens of the Commonwealth. ``Glasgow 2014's Queen's Baton is not only an incredibly stylish object, but is an example of cutting-edge, contemporary Scottish design that tells so many stories about our nation. ``It is a symbol of our friendship and the warm welcome that awaits the Commonwealth family here next year. ``As the baton leaves a piece of Scottish granite in every nation it visits, I hope it also leaves a sense of our excitement and determination to make Glasgow 2014 an outstanding experience for all who attend.''
The baton was designed by Glasgow-based 4c Design Limited, combining technology with traditional skills and craft. It features a transparent cylinder-housed titanium latticework frame which will hold the Queen's message, and gemstones which will be given to each nation and territory during the visit.
Scotland's Commonwealth Games minister Shona Robison said: ``This baton, designed and manufactured in Glasgow, is a fitting symbol to carry the Queen's message to the athletes of the Commonwealth. ``On its journey around the 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth, the baton will give two billion people a taste of the history, innovation and creativity of Scotland.''
