Communities around world unite in sport

SOME of most diverse regions in the Commonwealth have welcomed the Queen’s Baton as the relay reached half way on its journey to the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The shining “bobby pin” has traversed the islands of the Caribbean and both American continents, taking in the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

From there, the baton hit Toronto, Canada, and then Hamilton, the founding city of the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, then known as the British Empire Games.

The baton then took in previous host cities Edmonton (1978), Victoria (1994) and Vancouver (1954).

It was taken from concrete jungles to the Amazon, in Guyana, where the Makushi tribe welcomed the baton on World Indigenous Day with a smoking ceremony, poetry, song and dance.

At the halfway mark for the relay’s international sector, the baton made its way to the top of Belize’s Maya ruins, in the heart of Central America.

Finally, after 29 days and more than 13,000km, the baton arrived at its last stop in the Americas, the Falkland Islands.

The small but mighty islands are situated east off the Argentine coast at the 52nd parallel south. A military history, farming life and abundant wild geese produce a population of especially sharp shooters, who will make up the majority of Team Falkland Islands next year on the Gold Coast.

After the Americas, the baton returned to England, from where it was launched in March, before streaking north to Scotland, where it was greeted by 2014 Games mascot Clyde the Thistle.

The baton has spent this week in Northern Ireland, and will spend the weekend on the Isle of Man before heading to Wales next week.

The Queens Baton Relay will arrive in Australia on Christmas Eve, spending four months travelling here before arriving on the Gold Coast for the Games in April.