The last of the European summer days for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton will be spent in the culturally diverse nations of Gibraltar, Malta and Cyprus.
Located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, the rock of Gibraltar is home to a team of young swimmers who will no doubt enjoy seeing the Baton again, having already spent time with it earlier in the year at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.
Heading halfway across the Mediterranean ocean east, the Baton will then land in the Republic of Malta, just 80km south of Italy, before it continues to one of the easternmost islands of the Mediterranean, the Republic of Cyprus.
Both Malta and Cyprus have a proven track record at Commonwealth Games in shooting, and both will be vying for podium finishes at GC2018. It’s fair to say multiple gold medallist in skeet shooting, Georgios Achilleos from Cyprus, will want to defend his title, having just won bronze at the World Championships.
In the last month in Europe the Baton has voyaged between islands, visited dozens of schools and been relayed by hundreds of high profile athletes. In Wales, the Baton was carried by relay runners from the first ever Queen’s Baton Relay at the Cardiff 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
From Cyprus, the Baton heads to the Relay’s second-to-last international region, Asia, arriving in Lahore, Pakistan on 29 September.
Web: gc2018.com/qbr
QBR Hashtag: #QBR2018
GC2018 Hashtag: #GC2018, #SHARETHEDREAM
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Sarah Owens – sarah.owens@goldoc.com / +61 481 916 084
Public Relations Officer, Queen’s Baton Relay
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC)
BACKGROUND
The Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) continues to connect the Gold Coast with the entire Commonwealth.
Already the Baton has been passed between thousands of people across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe, building excitement for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).
The GC2018 Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres.
The Baton engages with all Commonwealth nations and territories of Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania for 288 days before it arrives in Australia for a further 100 days.
The Baton arrives into Brisbane on Christmas Eve and 3,800 batonbearers will carry it through every state and territory in Australia.
The Relay started on Commonwealth Day, Monday 13 March 2017, at Buckingham Palace when Her Majesty placed Her message inside of the Baton.
The distinctive design of the GC2018 Queen’s Baton captures the boundless energy of the Gold Coast. In form and inspiration, the Baton is a symbol of our past, present and future.
The Queen’s Baton arrives on the Gold Coast for the XXI Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, where the Prince of Wales will remove Her Majesty’s message from the Baton and read it aloud to declare the Games open.
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