QBR to arrive in India on schedule

THE BATON WILL ARRIVE IN DELHI ON OCTOBER 11 AND WILL REMAIN IN THE COUNTRY FOR THREE DAYS BEFORE PROCEEDING TO BANGLADESH

NEW DELHI: Dismissing speculation that the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) for the 2014 Commonwealth Games would be rescheduled in India, a spokesperson of the Glasgow organising committee confirmed to HT on Thursday that there was no change in plan.

The baton will arrive in New Delhi, the first international leg, as scheduled on October 11 and will remain in the country for three days before proceeding to Bangladesh on October 14

“The programme was finalised months back,” a spokesman of the organising committee said via email.

Apart from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the British High Commission and UNICEF, the international charity partner, will be involved during the baton’s visit here.

IOA acting president, VK Malhotra, who had earlier expressed reservation “taking into account the security constraints at this time of the year” too confirmed that “we will receive the baton on October 11”

During the three-day pro gramme, the baton will also travel to Agra, and the IOA is chalking out a detailed plan for the event, which will be a low key affair. “We are working on the logistics,” said Malhotra.

The QBR will be launched at the Buckingham Palace on October 9 with Queen Elizabeth placing her message for the Commonwealth in the baton.

The baton will cover more than 118,000 miles, averaging one to four days in each nation It will finish its journey at the opening ceremony of the Games in Glasgow on July 23.