Early Tuesday morning. A bright and beautiful day. I am about to run the first couple of legs of a special relay linking 12 schools in Bandar, all eager to hold the Queen’s Baton during its two day stay in Brunei. The baton is surprisingly heavy since it’s made of titanium and solid wood. But there’s something magical about it. As soon as people get to hold it, they invariably smile or run that little bit faster. My admiration though is for the BBC TV film crew, which is following the baton around the world. Running backwards, whilst filming with a heavy camera, takes real skill. They certainly had the opportunity to capture some fantastic pictures at the various schools.
The baton arrived the afternoon before. It was with real relief when I got the message that the baton had landed, on its flight from KL. Hosting a welcome event without the baton would have been Hamlet without the Prince. His Royal Highness Prince Sufri, President of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, officially received the baton at my house accompanied by his colleagues from the local Commonwealth Games Association and officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. My fellow Commonwealth High Commissioners were also there to share this special moment.
The accompanying Baton Relay team told us they were thrilled to be in Brunei and delighted with the young people focus of the Brunei leg. You can read more about the welcome reception here.
Later on in the evening, we hosted a separate event for Scottish nationals who live and work in Brunei and we also invited other prominent members of the British community as well as a group of Bruneian Students who had studied in Glasgow (which will be the venue of the 2014 Games). These Bruneian students had the chance to hold the baton and reflect on studying in Scotland. Their happy memories are nicely captured in the daily blog on the official Commonwealth Games website, which can be read here.
The baton has now left for Australia. From there it will travel around the Pacific, including Vanuatu on Christmas Day. It finally ends up in Glasgow in July next year, where Her Majesty The Queen will open the 2014 Games and read the message contained in the baton, which so many of us have now held. To follow the journey of the baton, visit the Glasgow 2014 website.