The Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay arrived in Kigali from Ghana on Wednesday and will spend four days in the country before heading to Uganda, on March 25.

The Queen’s Baton Relay departed Buckingham Palace on 13 March and will visit every Commonwealth Country as it journeys to Australia where the 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place on the Gold Coast in Australia from April 4-15.

During the commencement ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty the Queen placed her message into the specially designed Baton and entrusted it to the first Baton bearer, legendary Australian track cyclist and Gold Coast 2018 Ambassador Anna Meares OAM (Order Of Australia).

During its time in Rwanda, the Australian High Commission, together with the Gold Coast Organising Committee and the Rwandan Olympic Committee, will take the Baton to Rubavu on Thursday (today) where activities like tress planting and running across Rubavu town will be done before it returns to Kigali.

On Friday morning, the Queens Baton Relay will visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi while in the afternoon; it will be relayed through the streets of Kigali from the Convention Centre to Amahoro National Stadium.

Australian High Commissioner to Rwanda, John Feakes, said in a press release: "I am pleased by the opportunity that the Commonwealth Games affords Australia, Rwanda, and all Commonwealth nations to come together and recognize these important values that we share.”

The Gold Coast 2018 Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres in order to share the excitement of the Games with as many people as possible.

The Queen’s Baton Relay is a tradition of the Commonwealth Games that celebrates themes of diversity, community pride, and the sporting values of fairness, inclusivity and perseverance.

This year, a special theme of environmental sustainability is being highlighted.

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