The Hindu : Front Page : C'wealth Games: grand welcome to Queen's Baton on Wagah border

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 26, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

C'wealth Games: grand welcome to Queen's Baton on Wagah border

Y.B. Sarangi

Handed over to CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Countdown:Commonwealth Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi holds the Queen's Baton on the Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar on Friday.

ATTARI ( Amritsar ):The Queen's Baton received a grand welcome on entering India from Pakistan, through the Attari-Wagah border, on Friday marking the 100-day countdown to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Pakistan Olympic Association president Syed Arif Hassan handed over the baton to Indian counterpart and Commonwealth Games organising committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi, as thousands of people on both sides of the border celebrated the occasion with great fanfare.

‘Friendship through sports' was the theme of the celebration, and the mood on either side was befittingly upbeat, a positive sign for both the countries on the heels of the Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad.

The celebration began with school children from either side exchanging messages of peace through an initiative named Aman ki Asha.

Folk artistes from Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh performed to set the mood for the occasion, while Amritsar's famous Wadali brothers and well-known Pakistani vocalist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan enthralled the audience with their soulful renderings to celebrate the arrival of the Queen's baton to the host country.

“This is a big day for India and Pakistan. This will encourage friendship through sports...It is a turning point for Olympic sports in the country,” Mr. Kalmadi said.

While hoping to host successful Games, Mr. Kalmadi expected more sponsors to back the mega event.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell's support came as a boost for Mr. Kalmadi and company, as the OC has been racing against time to put everything in place for the Games. “The OC is working day and night to make the Commonwealth Games a good celebration,” Mr. Fennell said.

The dignitaries present at the event included Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Gurudas Kamat, Union Sports Ministry secretary Sindhushree Khullar and Pakistan's Punjab province Governor Salmaan Taseer.

Spontaneous cheering erupted when Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh and four-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom started a joint-relay with the baton.

The baton, which has toured 69 Commonwealth nations so far, was taken out in procession to the Golden Temple and Durgiana temple before being kept at the Company Bagh in Amritsar for public display.

The baton, accompanied by a battery of 80 people, will cover 20,000 km during its relay through 28 States and seven Union Territories before reaching Delhi on September 30. The journey will culminate with the baton entering the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, venue of the Games' opening ceremony, on October 3.

By the time it arrives at the opening ceremony, it would have travelled more than 1,90,000 km over 340 days, making it one of the longest relays in the history of the Games.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page