CWG baton begins its journey

The 13 other baton-bearers,picked from among celebrated Indian and British athletes and sportspersons including Milkha Singh,tennis ace Sania Mirza and Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh,waited for their turns to run with the baton around the Queen Victoria Memorial,along with British Olympic champion and London 2012 Organising Committee chief Lord Sebastian Coe,Kelly Holmes and cricketer Monty Panesar.

The loudest cheers from the thousands of flag-waving spectators who thronged the Victoria Memorial circle were reserved for Milkha and 1983 World Cup-winning captain,Kapil Dev.

‘Still young enough to run’

When asked about how he felt being a part of the relay,Milkha,who had won the 400m gold at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games in 1958,said: “Most people don’t bother about old athletes like me,but I am still young enough to run.”

Deep purple was the colour of prominence in the forecourt of the Buckingham Palace,with the Queen and the Indian President flanked by Gill,Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell and Organising Committee chairman Kalmadi. They walked on the purple carpet to the stage,following a colourful pageant which showcased Indian culture. Fusion was the theme as Indian and British dancers performed Kathak,Bharatanatyam and Kathakali,and mixed the classical Indian dance forms with ballet to leave the audience in thrall.

More ceremonies connected with the relay will continue on Friday,when Kalmadi will hand over the customised,gold-plated baton to the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Council of England,Andrew Foster. It will then be relayed from city to city in England till November 8.

The QBR will then start a journey of 170,000 kms over 240 days in different Commonwealth countries/dependencies and enter India through the Wagah border 100 days before the start of the Games.

For Kalmadi & Co,the impeccable start to the relay,dubbed as the curtain-raiser for the Games,must come as a relief,given the various controversies that have been haunting the preparations so far.

It was not surprising then that Gill took the lead in assuring the media in London that all was well and everything would fall into place.

He said that since his arrival in London on Wednesday,he had held discussions with Kalmadi and Fennell,and added that issue after issue was being resolved. Talking to The Indian Express after the ceremony,he said: “Commonwealth Games di gaddi ab tez chalegi (Games preparations will now move faster). There is nothing that cannot be resolved and we will iron everything out.”