Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug.31 (ANI): Some of the leading lights of Indian sports will welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay for the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, which reaches Bangalore on September 2.

Among those who will participate in the relay are former Commonwealth Games badminton gold medalist and All-England champion Prakash Padukone, cricketing legends G.R. Vishwanath, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, Karnataka’s first Olympian Kenneth Powell, Dronacharya Award winning boxer Captain. M. Venu and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi.

Asian Games hockey gold medalist Sabu Varkey and Arjuna Awardees Chetan Baboor (table tennis), Nisha Millet (swimming), Reeth Abraham (athletics) and Ashwini Nachappa (athletics) will also be among those participating.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will receive the baton along with the state Olympic Association President K. Govindraj.

Hundreds of sportspersons and sports lovers from urban, sub-urban and rural areas of the state are also expected to participate in the event.

The baton will travel to Hassan on September 4 and then to Mangalore before concluding its Karnataka journey at Karwar. It then reaches Panjim in Goa on September 7.

The Bangalore leg would mark Day 69 of the 100-day QBR journey. The South India leg of the relay commenced mid-August in Hyderabad and has already extensively covered Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Kerala before entering Karnataka through Mysore.

The QBR has seen widespread participation from former and current athletes and sportspersons apart from a lot of enthusiasm from all walks of society including the youth, students, celebrities and the political spectrum. (ANI)