King to launch Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth baton relay
EPAKing Charles will launch the King’s baton relay at Buckingham Palace ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
This is the 18th Commonwealth Games relay race, 500 days before the competition begins in July next year.
He will hand over the baton to the champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, the first bearer of the journey around the world.
The relay race begins in London and is part of the Commonwealth Day celebrations and will be the first of the Kings to be the head of the Commonwealth.
PA MediaAfter Sir Chris Hoy, the next three batons will be wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn, Ocean Plastics athlete Keiran Healy and Trinidad & Tobago & Tobago judo player Gabriella Wood, who studied at Stirling University.
Trinidad and Tobago will be the first destination for relays.
The king will send a sealed message to the baton. It will remain in it until the opening reads to commemorate the start of the game.
Meanwhile, first minister John Swinney will be in London for the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey later.
PA MediaSweeney said it was “a huge opportunity for Scotland on the world stage”.
He added: “Glasgow already has a huge record in hosting the 2014 Glasgow Federal Olympic Games.
“Glasgow 2026 will bring huge economic benefits to the city and provide upgrades to sports facilities – benefiting individuals, communities and clubs.”
The event will be held in Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August next year.
It will conduct 10 sports programs with athletes from 74 countries and regions.
Why does Glasgow hold the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
Glasgow was declared the host of Victoria, Australia (formerly scheduled to host) after the 2026 Olympics – withdrew the cost increase.
The Scottish government agreed to support the agreement, and the Victorian government promised a £2.3 million investment.
Scottish Government Minister Neil Gray said at the time the fact that the city was asked to step in and host the Olympics “proves the wonderful reputation of Glasgow and Scotland in hosting international events”.
Organizers said the games will be offered to Scottish public wallets for free, and after Australians exit, the compensation comes from the Commonwealth Games Federation.
If there are any security threats, the UK government will provide financial support, but says it will not fully commit to the game.
How many sports and how many medals should I grab?
The match for the Glasgow 10 Sports will be the city’s last hosted version in 2014.
The total number of sports has been cut in half from 20 Birmingham in 2022 to hit rising custody costs and time demand.
But there will still be more than 200 gold medals on the grounds of the city’s eight-mile corridor.
Swimming, track cycling and para sporting will have more medal winners than any of the previous 22 races.
Track and field will have two new activities – a hybrid 4x400m relay and Commonwealth Mile, replacing the 1500m.
Para Sports will be fully integrated in six of 10 disciplines and will have a match record for 47 medals.
26 bike golds will be won together in the Chris Hoy Racing Circuit, eight of which are on para-track bikes. That’s twice the amount offered three years ago.
The 56th will be offered at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, and the men’s 800m and women’s 1500m freestyle competitions are available for the first time.
