Commonwealth Games Baton Unveiled
A hand-crafted Baton made of titanium, wood and granite which will travel throughout the Commonwealth representing Glasgow and Scotland ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games was revealed to the public for the first time over the weekend.
The Baton will form the focus of the Queen’s Baton Relay, a tradition of the Games that aims to unite the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth.
It will carry with it a personal message from Her Majesty The Queen calling the athletes of the Commonwealth to Glasgow for the start of the Games.
The Baton’s journey officially begins on 9th October at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace before travelling across the Commonwealth – including all the Home Nations and territories – before arriving back in Scotland in June next year.
Over 288 days the Baton will travel more than a hundred thousand miles, visiting all 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth – and will also be the first to visit Rwanda.
It will be carried by thousands of batonbearers on its journey, all chosen or nominated by their own nation to participate. On its final leg, the Baton will travel the length and breadth of Scotland on the way to the Opening Ceremony, where the Queen’s message will be read and the Games declared open.
The Baton’s design was unveiled at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum on the banks of the River Clyde on Friday night, when it was formally presented to Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of Glasgow 2014, by Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth athlete Allan Wells, 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.
Allan will also be among the first batonbearers for the Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay when it leaves from Buckingham Palace later this year.
According to Glasgow 2014, the Baton symbolises Glasgow and Scotland’s culture, history and innovation in its design and construction by combining modern technology with traditional skills and craft.
Created by Glasgow-based Designers, 4c Design Limited and made primarily from titanium and wood, the Baton features four main elements in its design; the illuminated Queen’s message, the titanium lattice frame, the Elm handle and the granite gemstone.
Lord Smith of Kelvin, Glasgow 2014 chairman 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.’
Baton designer William Mitchell added: ‘It’s been both a privilege and an honour to design the Queen’s Baton for the Glasgow 2014 Games. This commission has been a wonderful opportunity for the team at 4c Design to bring all their different skills to the table to create a design that combines inspiration and innovation, and that will promote Glasgow, Scotland and our culture across the globe.’
‘It’s been an exciting journey and one which we could not have taken without the amazing contribution from many talented individuals and companies here in Scotland, and from the team at Glasgow 2014. Collaboration has been pivotal to what you see before you and we now look forward to following the Baton’s journey. We hope that people across the Commonwealth will enjoy seeing the Baton as much as we have enjoyed designing it.’
