Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi visits T&T

Trinidad and Tobago will be the 31st Commonwealth Nation to host the Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi .

One of the greatest traditions of the Commonwealth Games since Cardiff 1958.The Queen’s Baton travels to the seventy Commonwealth Nations and Territories. The Baton contains a message from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the athletes which will be read at the 3rd October opening ceremony in New Delhi.

The Queens Baton 2010 Delhi will arrive in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday 21st February, 2010 at 4.15pm . The receiving party will include officials from the British and Indian High Commission and Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association(TTCGA) president Larry Romany and Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Gary Hunt .

"We are taking a different approach to the Queen's Baton Relay this time around. In the past we have focused on Port.of.Spain and Tobago.This time we are including Point Fortin.We are also making the activities youth oriented. It is important for us to raise the awareness among the youth of the nation about the history and tradition of the Commonwealth Games and also the 2011 Commonwealth Youth games scheduled for the Isle of Man. The Baton is a symbol of Peace,Harmony and Friendship.Those are values very much needed in our country at this time." said Romany.

Editors note:The Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi containing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's 'message to the athletes' left The Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton will arrive at the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India.The Queen's Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will take the baton to the home of one third of the world's population, enabling many millions of people across the globe to join in the celebrations for the Games.The Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi is a fusion of handcrafted elements interplayed with a precision engineered body, and ornamented with an intricate hand layered soil pattern.The shape and design of the baton is created using a triangular section of aluminium which has been twisted in the form of a helix and then coated with a diverse range of coloured soils collected from all corners of India. The interweaving of coloured soils, including white sands, deep reds, warm yellows, dark browns and an array of other hues creates a very distinctive design, form and texture never before seen in the styling of a Queen's Baton.The very essence of India with its diversity and unrelenting endeavour towards a harmonious and progressive nation has shaped the inspiration of the baton. Culminating at the pinnacle of the Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi is a precious jewellery box containing the Queen's 'message to the athletes'. The Queen's message has been symbolically engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf, representative of the ancient Indian 'patras'. Modern laser technology known as micro calligraphy has been used for the first time to reproduce the Queen's message in this method.The Queen`s Baton 2010 Delhi stands at 664 millimetres high is 34 millimetres wide at the base, and 86 millimetres wide at the top and weighs a mere 1,900 grams. The baton’s ergonomic contours allow for convenient holding and good balance.The Queen`s Baton has been created using processes and technologies existing in India by Foley Design in partnership with Titan Industries and a technology consortium led by Bharat Electronics Limited.The technology features of The Queen’s Baton for Delhi 2010 include:

The baton was designed by Michael Foley, A graduate of the National Institute of Design