Anticipation is growing across central Scotland this week with news that the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will be arriving in Glasgow on Sunday 29 November for two days of events and celebrations.

The Queen’s Baton Relay is the traditional curtain raiser to every Commonwealth Games and starts its journey from Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II places her ‘message to the athletes’ into the Baton. The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi started on 29 October and will traverse the length and breadth of the Commonwealth for 240 days visiting all 70 nations and territories, before embarking upon a 100 day national tour of India. The relay will conclude at the Opening Ceremony on 3October 2010 when the message will be retrieved and read out by the Queen to officially open the Games.

Scotland is the eighth leg of the Relay’s marathon journey and a number of organisations and partners of Commonwealth Games Scotland have come together to hold an outstanding range of events and celebrations turning the spotlight on Scotland’s participation in the Delhi Games next year.
The visit will start on Sunday 29 November with a day of celebrations in Glasgow, the next host city of the Commonwealth Games in 2014. One of the highlights will be a major relay through the city centre from Buchanan Street to George Square.

On Monday 30 November the Queen’s Baton Relay will journey through the central belt, joining in St Andrew’s Day celebrations in Paisley, visiting The Glasgow School of Sport before heading east to the unique Falkirk Wheel. It will journey on to Edinburgh with a visit to the Indian High Commission where Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will meet the Baton with Indian Consul General Mr. Anil Kumar Anand. After a relay from Edinburgh Castle taking in the sights down the Royal Mile, the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will conclude its Scottish visit at a business function hosted by Clydesdale Bank one of Team Scotland’s commercial partners.

Welcoming the arrival of the Baton north of the border, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh said: “The visit of the Queens Baton Relay to Scotland brings the Games a step closer still. We are delighted about the enthusiasm the arrival of the Queens Baton is generating and we look forward to an exciting two days of events involving school children, youngsters, business and community groups across central Scotland.

“Commonwealth Games Scotland is looking forward to holding a gathering of our past team members, known as the Thistle Club in Glasgow on the Sunday evening hosted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow. For our athletes from previous Games it will be a particularly special occasion reminding them of their own special Commonwealth Games experiences.”