Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday said the Queen's Baton Relay is one of the best traditions of the Commonwealth Games and it is an honour for Odisha to be a part of the journey.
"Wishing grand success of the #CommonWealthGames2022 CM said that the relay will go on to encourage and inspire the young athletes to dream big and shine at the Games,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a tweet. The Queen’s Baton for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG) had arrived in the coastal state on Friday.
Thanking the Chief Minister, British Deputy High Commissioner, Kolkata, Nick Low, said in a video message, “I was delighted when I heard that the 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay was coming to Odisha." “Having recently been to Bhubaneswar for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, visited the magnificent Kalinga Sports Complex and met Odisha FC. Let no one be in any doubt that Odisha has international class facilities, highly talented athletes and administrators and, most important of all, a palpable passion for sport."
Birmingham looks forward to giving the athletes and officials from Odisha and from across India an equally warm reception, he said. The baton had toured Puri and Konark on Saturday and then arrived at Raj Bhawan here where it was received by Odisha Governor, Ganeshi Lal from Shradhanjali Samanatray, the ace footballer from the state.
The baton then toured the temple city of Bhubaneswar before arriving at the Kalinga Stadium. The Odisha leg of the relay culminated with Olympian Dutee Chand handing over the baton to Sports secretary R.Vineel Krishna, at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday. The baton left for its next destination in Singapore on Sunday.
The journey began on October 7 last year at the Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II placed her message onto the baton, signifying the start of the 294-day relay to 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. The India leg of the baton relay started on January 12 from New Delhi.
With inputs from PTI.
