30 December 2021: Yesterday, 30 December 2021, the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay has arrived in Maldives,
reaching the 24“1 destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories it will be visiting.
Arriving from Pakistan, the Baton officially touched down at Velana international Airport.
The Queen’s Baton, which carries a message from Her Majesty the Queen, arrived in Maldives as part of its journey to the
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in England from ZBJuly until 8 August 2022.
The Queen's Baton is in Maldives officially for two days and during it's time here, it will be carried by Batonbearers, including
current and legacy athletes, and will visit Haa Alli and Haa Dhaalu Atoll and experience the Queens Baton Relay, sports
festival and beach cleaning activities.
President of CGA Maldives, Mohamed Abdul Sattar said: "it is fantastic to have the Baton arrive in Maldives today. its arrival
signifies an exciting moment in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and l’m really looking forward to
the various visits and activities during its time here."
The Queen's Baton Relay will visit:
Haa Dhaalu Atoll Nolhivaran Faru - Queens Baton Relay, untold stories and beach clean-up activity on January 1,
2022
Haa Dhaalu Atoll Nolhivaram - Queens Baton Relay on January 1, 2022
Haa Alif Atoll Dhlhdho - Beach clean-up, Changemaker event, official welcome ceremony, sports festival and
Queens Baton Relay on January 2, 2022
Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition for
the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 2021, when Her Majesty The Queen
placed her Message to the Commonwealth into the Baton and passed it to four«time Paralympic gold medallist and Team
England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Batonbearers to carry the Baton through
the Commonwealth.
The 16‘" official Queen's Baton Relay is an epic journey covering the entirety of the Commonwealth as it will travel to all 72
nations and territories, covering a distance of 140,000 kilometres. For 269 days, the Baton will travel to Europe, Africa, Asia,
Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, before it embarks on the final stretch of its journey across England for 25 days.
The Queen‘s Baton Relay will complete its journey at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
on 28 July 2022. This is a traditional and fundamental part of the Games and the Opening Ceremony, as the final Batonbearer
will pass the Baton back to The Queen. The Queen's message to the Commonwealth will then be removed from the Baton
and read aloud, marking the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
