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Commonwealth Games baton relay in Sri Lanka today
Wednesday, 21 September 2005 - 2:01 AM SL Time
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The baton relay of the XVIIIth Commonwealth Games in Melbourne will take place today in Colombo and Seenigama, before moving to Kandy tomorrow for another special programme.
The baton which consists of a message from the Queen of England to the athletes of the Games to be read out at the opening ceremony is a tradition of the Games since the 1958 games in Cardiff.
This baton relay which travels to 71 countries during a journey of 180,000 kilometres across land, air and sea within a period of one year from March 14, 2005 to March 15, 2006 will go down in history as the longest and most inclusive such relay ever.The baton landed in Colombo last night as the 53rd destination on its way to Melbourne from London.
Today`s ceremonies in Colombo will start with the baton relay at 9.15 a.m. from Trans Asia Hotel in Colombo. It will proceed to the Australian High Commission and to Torrington Square. The route will be Kumaran Ratnam Road, Sir James Pieris Mw, Sir Earnest de Silva Mw., Ananda Coomaraswamy Mw., Sir Marcus Fernando Mw., Albert Crescent and Independence Avenue.
From the High Commission to Independence Square, the baton will carried by Australian High Commission members and Susanthika Jayasinghe.
At 10.00 am Jayasinghe is expected to hand over the baton to National Olympic Committee President Hemasiri Fernando who in turn will hand it over to the Australian High Commissioner Dr. Greg French. Dr. French will then hand it over to the Sports Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga.
After a brief ceremony featuring addresses by politicians and diplomats and sports officials the baton will leave for Seenigama near Hikkaduwa in a special train, which the NOC president described as a 60- year old special vintage rail car.
There will be a special programme at Seenigama and the location has been selected as the Australian people are conducting a special rehabilitation project for the tsunami affected people of the area.
The baton will then return to Colombo in the evening, before travelling to Kandy tomorrow for another special programme at the temple of the sacred tooth where it will invoke special blessings by Buddhist monks who would chant holy 'pirith'.
School children of Kandy will also take part in the baton relay while the Diya- wadana Nilame will receive the baton at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. The Baton will travel to Kandy in the luxury vintage train 'Viceroy Special'.
Then on Friday morning, the baton will leave Colombo for its next destination in the Maldives.
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