Sports chief Bayigamba's delight at Queen's Baton arrival

IT’S OFFICIAL. The first Queen’s Baton to visit Rwanda is in town. It arrived at 8:35p.m aboard a RwandAir flight en route from Entebbe, Uganda. At the Kigali International Airport, the Commonwealth baton was received by the Rwanda National Olympic and Sport Committee Chairman Robert Bayigamba. He expressed delight over the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay in Rwanda – six months ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. “We feel immensely proud and honoured to host the Queen’s Baton for the first in Rwanda’s history. It is a demonstration that we are now fully part of the Commonwealth family,” Bayigamba, a former sports minister, said after receiving the Baton last evening. He added: “We hope that the Queen’s Baton visit will inspire our athletes who will take part in the Glasgow (Scotland) Games; I’ve no doubt they will go out there and represent their country the best way possible, which is winning medals.” Bayigamba noted that the “Queen’s Baton Relay is a symbol of unity, rich diversity and friendship among the Commonwealth nations.” Rwanda, which became the 54th member of the Commonwealth in 2009 – becoming only the second member state with no colonial links with Britain – is the baton’s 29th host country of its 70 Commonwealth destinations over a period of 288 days. Its final journey will be a tour around Scotland, the hosts of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which will get underway on July 23 through August 3. The baton’s journey has been a major tradition ahead of Commonwealth Games since the Cardiff 1958 Games in Wales. The Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay began at Buckingham Palace on October 9, 2013, when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Head of Commonwealth, handed over the baton to begin its relay around the globe. On its first day in Rwanda, the Queen’s Baton and the accompanying delegation spent the night at Golf Hills Residence in the upmarket Nyarutarama neighbourhood. Today, the Queen’s Baton visits some of Rwanda’s top tourist destinations in Musanze and Nyanza districts, namely; the Nest Lodge, Caves, Buhanga Eco park, Olympafrica, the Kings’ Palace and Museum and Inyambo. It’s scheduled to leave the country on Saturday and proceed to Tanzania, as it continues its East African tour.