Vidanage and Gomes to carry Queen’s Baton

Weightlifters Chinthana Vidanage and Dinusha Hansani Gomes will carry the Queen’s Baton when the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Sri Lanka; the 25th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories that it will be visiting.

“On January 3, 2022, President of CGA Sri Lanka – Suresh Subramaniam and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Sports and British High Commission will officially welcome the Baton at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Queen’s Baton will be carried at the airport by Chinthana Vidanage and Dinusha Hansani Gomes, who have won the medals at the Commonwealth Games,” a communiqué from the National Olympic Committee said.

A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay, with opportunities to showcase untold stories from Batonbearers, athletes, and young people who are striving for change in their community.

During it’s time in Sri Lanka the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Colombo, Kandy and travel up to Hatton.

The Queen’s Baton will arrive here having previously visited The Maldives.

Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition at the Commonwealth Games.

The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 2021, when Her Majesty The Queen placed Her Message to the Commonwealth into the Baton and passed it to four-time Paralympic gold medallist and Team England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Batonbearers to carry the Baton.

The President of CGA Sri Lanka – Suresh Subramaniam said “I am delighted that Sri Lanka is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of Sri Lanka to people across the Commonwealth.”

The CGA Sri Lanka’s Secretary General Mr. Maxwell de Silva has said “We are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in our community and are well on track with our planning for the occasion. Everyone here is excited to get involved with the festivities and to cheer on the Batonbearers.”

Commenting on the occasion, Maarya Rehman, Country Director, British Council stated, “The British Council has worked in countries across the Commonwealth for decades, supporting the UK’s sectors and international ambitions by building connections through arts and culture, education and the English language.

Our on-the-ground expertise, knowledge and networks with young leaders, education professionals, researchers, artists, leaders and policymakers enable us to provide a unique cultural relations contribution. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham provides a unique opportunity to build sports, arts, and citizenship connections throughout the education sector between the host city and country and the geographies of the Commonwealth. Through our Commonwealth Connection global program, the British Council Sri Lanka, provides educational opportunities for young people in schools to learn together and develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Commonwealth and its values, thus allowing young people to feel more ownership and ability to shape their communities.

The project will use school twinning as an approach that enables peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge and experience, through which schools collaborate for shared learning and mutual enrichment. The project has six schools in the Central Province in Sri Lanka twinning with six schools in the West Midlands. An estimated 500+ students in these schools are directly reached through this project. We are delighted to support the local hosting body of the GoSL, CGA Sri Lanka for a successful celebration”.

The British High Commission stated – “We look forward to welcoming the Baton here in Sri Lanka! Find out more about the Queen’s Baton Relay and the journey around the Commonwealth here. This epic journey across the Commonwealth represents hope, solidarity and collaboration for the next generation, and is connecting communities in every corner of the Commonwealth, embracing unique cultures and sharing stories.”

The 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay is an epic journey covering the entirety of the Commonwealth as it will travel to all 72 nations and territories, covering a distance of 140,000 kilometres. For 269 days, the Baton will travel to Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, before it embarks on the final stretch of its journey across England for 25 days.

The Queen’s Baton Relay will complete its journey at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2022. This is a traditional and fundamental part of the Games and the Opening Ceremony, as the final Batonbearer will pass the Baton back to The Queen. The Queen’s message to the Commonwealth will then be removed from the Baton and read aloud, marking the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.