The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has launched the Queens Baton Relay, to herald the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.
The Queens Baton Relay is a traditional event that symbolises the traditional curtain raiser to the Commonwealth Games, with the baton passing through all the 71 Commonwealth Nations before the start of the Games.
The Relay has been fixed for April 27 and 28 at Accra and Kyebi respectively, with the relay crew scheduled to arrive in Ghana from Sierra Leone on April 25.
This is the second time Ghana is hosting the relay, after hosting it last year in Accra and Kumasi.
Briefing the media at a Press Conference in Accra, Mr Albert Tettey, Secretary of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) said the Queens Baton Relay is the world's most longest inclusive relay, that unites the communities of the Commonwealth by joining millions of people in celebrations towards the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Mr Tettey noted that the relay would also carry a message from the Queen, which would be read at the opening ceremony with Mr Benson Tongo Baba, Chairman of GOC, Albert Agbozo, Acting Chief Executive of the National Sports Council (NSC), Sheik Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye, Great Accra Regional Minister and Okyenhene Amoatia Ofori Panyin participating.
The Secretary therefore called on students, Keep Fit Clubs and other sports celebrities to join the activities of the Relay to make it a success.
The event was launched on March 14, this year at the Buckingham Palace London, which served as the starting point and would take 12 months to go through all the 71 counties before arriving in the Melbourne Stadium on March 14, for the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The relay crew would depart from Accra to Nigeria on April 28 for the next leg of the event.