Leemisa Thuseho
THE Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in the country today from Eswatini.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city’s Commonwealth Day festivities.
The baton will be relayed to all Commonwealth member nations before being returned to the Queen or her representative at the opening ceremony of the Games. The upcoming games will be held in Birmingham, England on 28 July to 8 August 2022.
Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) acting chief executive officer (CEO) ‘Mathato Makhorole told this publication that the baton will arrive in the country and will remain in Lesotho until 22 December 2021.
As per the tour schedule, the baton’s next destination will be Seychelles from 23 to 26 December 2021, then Pakistan from 27 December 2021 to 1 January 2022.
“The baton is arriving on Sunday (today) and it will be here until 22 December 2021. Upon arrival, the baton will be taken to His Majesty King Letsie III at the Royal Palace.
“Thereafter, the baton will be taken to 12 villages in Maseru, Berea and Leribe where there will be various cultural activities to celebrate its stay in the country as well as raising awareness on the upcoming Commonwealth Games,” Makhorole said, adding the main celebrations will be held at Ha-Ramapepe, Leribe, tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Maseru has been sponsoring para sports in Lesotho “in the spirit of sensitising the nation about the Commonwealth Games and the upcoming Baton relay”.
The celebration of para sports saw Kick4Life collaborating with the Lesotho Rugby Academy to host soccer, rugby and life-skills training for young people with visual and hearing impairments on Friday at the Kick4Life ground in Maseru.
Yesterday, there were more sporting activities at Durham Link.
“The upcoming Commonwealth games will demonstrate the incredible feats of performance para athletes are capable of. As Lesotho prepares to welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay, these events are a great opportunity to introduce these sports to those with disabilities and enable them to learn new skills and enjoy new activities,” British High Commissioner to Lesotho, Anne Macro said.