The Queen’s Baton for the 2022 Birmingham Games was paraded through the principal streets of Accra on Tuesday morning.
The walk was part of activities to commemorate the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay in Ghana which has been one of the most exciting events of the Commonwealth Games for over 60 years.
Ghana is the sixth country to receive the Queen’s Baton Relay which would move across the 72 nations and territories taking part in the Birmingham Games next July.
Madam Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana was one of the baton bearers during the walk, which also included the President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, and Director General of National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Peter Twumasi.
Other bearers of the Queen’s Baton include Ghanaian football star Asamoah Gyan, Olympic Bronze Medallist Samuel Takyi, Dr. Ofori Asare, Botsyo Nkegbe, Frederick Assor, Samuel Takyi, Kofi Kinaata, among others.
Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the GOC speaking to the media after the walk, stressed the importance of the relay event which is a curtain-raiser to the main games.
“We are excited to receive the baton from the Head of Commonwealth, the Queen of England, and this signifies the unity of the Commonwealth despite the diversity of culture across various countries,” he said
Mr. Nunoo Mensah added that the arrival of the baton would further motivate the athletes to step up preparations for the game in July next year as Ghana looks to add to the 57 medals won since the inception of the Games.
The Queen’s Baton would be received by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on Wednesday and would also travel to Ntonsu where the Adinkra symbols originated from, and Bonwire, land of Kente.
The Baton would leave the shores of Ghana on Thursday to its next destination, Cameroon.
