Queens Baton here in December

BY BEN BILUA

NOCSI Vice-President Fiance and Marketing Nihal Seneviratne and NOCSI Vice-President Solomon Games Ishmael are part of the working taskforce established purposely to organise the planning of the Queen’s Baton visit here in December

NATIONAL Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands is mobilising programmes in preparation to welcome the Queens baton on December 5th ahead of 2018 Common Wealth Games to be held in Gold Coast Australia next year.

A working committee has been established to mobilise plans and programmes to host the Baton upon its arrival in the country.

Vice President of Solomon Games Mr Ishmael A. Nori has been appointed as the Liaison Officer for the Queens Baton visit.

Speaking to this paper yesterday Mr Nori said his committee has kicked started plans and programme to honour the Baton when it arrive in the country on 5th December.

He adds the his committee is proposing a float parade from King George School to White River with the Baton before heading to the Governor General’s Residence where the baton will spend a night.

Mr Nori said special programme is proposed to take place at the Common Wealth Street as part of welcoming the Queens Baton.

He continues to say that his committee is also looking for a better person fitting as a bearer of the Baton.

“We are calling on the public to nominate men or women with integrity or interesting history to hold/run the Baton upon its arrival here,” Mr Nori said.

He said the event will presents a huge promotional opportunity for the country’s tourism industry as international and regional media will accompany the baton.

Mr Nori also said that his committee is also working opportunity for business houses and other private sectors who want to be part of the promotion list.

“The significant of this torch relay is that Solomon Islands is a Common Wealth Country and also will be participating in the upcoming Common Wealth Games.

“More importantly international and regional media are following the Baton and this requires the host country to design brilliant parade to welcome the baton.

“This event will be part of the promoting the country tourism and for business houses, we offer limited spaces for the Torch to promote their business,” he said.

Mr Nori said business houses and other organisation interested to be part of the promotion can call NOCSI and his committee for arrangements.

The Queen Baton will visit Papua New Guinea before Solomon Islands and then to Vanuatu as it heads toward Australia.

On Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, the Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay was launched on the historic forecourt at Buckingham Palace, signalling the official countdown to the start of the Games. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II heralded the start of the relay by placing her ‘message to the Commonwealth and its athletes’ into the distinctive loop-design Queen’s Baton which then set off on its journey around the globe.

The Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Barton Relay is set to be the longest in Commonwealth Games history. Covering 230,000km over 388 days, the Baton will make its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

The Baton will finally land on Australian soil in December 2017 and will then spend 100 days travelling through Australia, finishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, where the message will be removed from the Baton and read aloud by Her Majesty or a representative.

Designed for each Games by the host nation, the 2018 Queen’s Baton has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic, sourced from Gold Coast waterways, and inspired by the region’s vibrant spirit and indigenous heritage.

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