The Queen’s Baton Relay arrived in Vanuatu 22 February, where it received a warm welcome by students from Tanna Island, dressed in traditional grass skirts and head pieces.
The first stop on the Relay was Mele Village, the nation’s largest village. The village Paramount Chief Simeon Poilapa Tivatelapa IV and citizen Mike Masauvakalo represented their community and carried the Baton.
To celebrate the Relay, members of the Mele community adorned the streets with banners, balloons, and streamers and laid out bright, patterned cloths on the road to mark the Baton’s route. Ati George Sokomanu, Vanuatu’s first ever Head of State, took on the Relay as a Batonbearer, which was a special moment for him since he was born and raised in the village.
The next stop along the route was Wan Smol Bag Theatre, a development theatre group who strive to bring awareness to issues surrounding education, health, the environment, youth, and gender.
Later in the day, Batonbearer, Benneth Malas, took on an extreme challenge and ziplined 300m across the rain forest. Returning across the forest, Ralph Regenvanu, anthropologist, artist, and politician, carried the Baton along the Vanuatu Sky Bridge.
The next day started with a horseback ride along the golden sand beach. As the Relay continued throughout the day, Batonbearers took on even more extreme modes of transport like quad biking!
The day ended with a sports celebration at Mele Suango Beach, where members of the community were able to try their hand at a variety of sports such as Weightlifting, Cricket, Rugby, and Beach Volleyball- all of which will be played at Birmingham 2022.
