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The Cayman Islands Commonwealth Games Association and the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee are staging the arrival of Her Majesty the Queen’s Baton in the Cayman Islands for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Queen’s 16th Baton Relay, a popular tradition of the Commonwealth Games, began last October 2021 at Buckingham Palace. The baton is currently on a 294-day journey to reach all 72 Commonwealth countries. This event is part of the lead up to the Commonwealth Games this summer.

The relay is one of the oldest traditions of the Games, being a feature of the event since 1958. The international relay symbolises the gathering of people from across the Commonwealth at the festival of sport and culture. Over the years, the Queen’s Baton Relay has become a symbol of the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Cayman portion of this international event was coordinated by the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee (CIOC). The baton arrived previously on Cayman’s shores for the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. However, in 2022, a platinum strand spans the length of the baton in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Year, which marks the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne in 1952. Cayman is also celebrating the Queen’s role as Head of the Commonwealth.

            The official welcoming of the baton in Grand Cayman will take place on the morning of Tuesday, 12 April at the Government Administration Building. The baton will travel the length of Grand Cayman, beginning at Heroes Square, continuing to other historical landmarks and schools before concluding at the George Town Yacht Club (GTYC).

            The journey continues for the baton on Wednesday, 13 April, where local athletes will carry it from the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, passing it on until the Queen’s Baton Relay concludes at the Cayman Turtle Centre. The celebrations will also feature the baton’s journey through Cayman Brac. 

The baton then departs Cayman for other Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It will continue onto Canada, Gibraltar, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and finally, spend 25 days being carried across England. The journey will conclude at the Birmingham 2022 Games Opening Ceremony, where the final baton bearer will return the baton to Her Majesty, the Queen.

Everyone is encouraged to watch the baton’s journey and experience the diversity of the Commonwealth cultures and landscapes. To learn more about the baton’s design, journey and international significance, visit the Birmingham 2022 website: https://www.birmingham2022.com/queens-baton-relay/baton

The Queen’s Baton Relay will also be live-streamed on the CIOC’s Instagram page, here: https://www.instagram.com/caymanolympic/

(GIS)