Uganda receives Queen’s Baton

Feeling it. The acting Australian Ambassador to Kenya H.E Jeremy Green, Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) president William Blick, president of the Common Wealth Games Louise Martin and the UOC General Secretary, Don Rukare hold the Queen’s Baton at UOC offices, Lugogo. Photo by ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

Programme. Tomorrow, the Queen’s Baton Relay, which will last 388 days, continues to State House, Parliament and the Vice President’s office

KAMPALA.

There is every reason for Ugandans to be excited that the Queen’s Baton is in the country.

The Baton represents unity and carries a message from the Queen of Britain, the Head of the Commonwealth to all athletes that participate in the Commonwealth Games whose 29th edition will take place in April 2018, in Gold Coast, Australia.

Uganda, which enjoys relative success at these Games, with a particularly impressive medal collection in Australia, is only the fourth country after Sierra Leone, Ghana and Rwanda to receive the instrument that leaves for Cameroon on Wednesday.
The Relay saw the Baton unveiled to the public at Gems Cambridge International School and Kololo Independence Grounds during the IAAF World Cross Country Championships yesterday.

Tomorrow, the Queen’s Baton Relay, which will last 388 days, continues to State House, Parliament and the Vice President’s office.

“I cannot believe that two weeks ago the Queen put her message in this Baton and now we are here,” Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin, said at a press conference held in Lugogo over the weekend, where the press were allowed to have a feel of the Baton.

Queen’s message
“The Queen urges athletes to train and work hard and ensure they compete with lots of dedication,” Martin added.
Her host Uganda Olympic Committee or in this case Uganda Commonwealth Games president William Blick, described the competition as a “unique opportunity for youth to fulfill a dream of competing at the top level.”

But it was Australia High Commissioner (based in Nairobi) Jeremy Green, whose country hosts the Games for the 5th time that recounted our history at this level.

“I was checking Uganda’s record at these Games and noticed you won your first ever gold medal (George Oywello in the heavyweight boxing competitions) in Perth 1962.

“Then in 2008 you won the women’s 3000m steeplechase (Dorcus Inzikuru) and 10000m (Boniface Kiprop) gold medals. We also hosted your netball team in the 2015 World Cup that also did well,” Green said, before adding we must relish competing in Australia.

Martin Mubiru also won bronze in the flyweight boxing competition then.