The Queen’s Baton Relay started its Ugandan journey on 5 November with a welcome ceremony, where the Baton was received by Commonwealth Games Federation Uganda President, Dr Donald Rukare, as well as representatives from Government and the British High Commission Kampala.
The Queen’s Baton Relay visited the Ministry of Education and Sports where the Baton was presented to Minister Janet Museveni, the Parliament of Uganda, as well as team captains, who are hoping to participate in Birmingham 2022. Para-badminton Olympian, Ritah Asiimwe and Olympic Boxer, Shadir Musa Bwogi were among the athlete Batonbearers present to celebrate the Baton’s arrival.
That night, the British High Commission hosted a welcome reception, where President Yoweri Museveni, amongst others, delivered speeches to an audience comprising of Uganda Olympic Committee Executive Board and Staff, the National Council of Sports, the Presidents of National Sport Federations, the Secretaries General, athletes, and a representative from the Duke of Edinburgh International Award. Uganda’s only Paralympic swimmer, Husnah Kukundakwe, represented her community as a Batonbearer. She credits swimming for helping her to overcome childhood shyness and has since gone on to win the Inspirational Athlete Award at the DSTV Aquatics Excellence Awards in 2020.
Saturday’s events kicked off at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe, where the Baton was received by the Uganda Tourism Board. It then headed east to Kayabwe to visit the Equator Monument, a landmark that sits astride the Equator line. After seeing where north meets south, the Baton was taken on a boat cruise on Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world. Following its voyage, the Baton visited the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which sits on Chimpanzee Island in Lake Victoria. A resident chimpanzee posed holding the Baton, becoming the first animal Batonbearer. While on the island, Batonbearers and attendees planted trees, celebrating the Queen’s Baton Relay and Uganda’s commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goals.
That afternoon, the Baton was carried to the State House and the Youth Sport Uganda Centre, which aims to offer educational, health and life skills opportunities to vulnerable young people in Uganda through harnessing the power of sport. The centre hosted an evening of games and activities to celebrate the Baton’s journey, with people from a local refugee centre amongst those invited to join the fun. Uganda currently hosts the highest number of refugees out of all African countries, accommodating almost 1.5 million refugees. As part of the activities, senior coaches from the sport centre and members of the Ugandan Olympic Committee planted trees to mark the occasion.
The Queen’s Baton Relay’s next stop is Rwanda on 10 November. To stay up to date with the Queen’s Baton Relay and everything else Birmingham 2022 related, follow @birminghamcg22 across social media.
