London, Oct 29 (IANS) The Queen’s Baton Relay, one of the great traditions of the Commonwealth Games, will travel 170,000 km and pass through 70 Commonwealth nations before reaching India for the Games starting Oct 3 next year.
It will take the Queen’s Baton 240 days to complete the epic journey to all of the other 70 nations. On its 100-day tour in India, the baton will visit all the capital cities in India’s 28 states and seven union territories and many other cities along the way, covering well over 20,000 km.

On arrival at the opening ceremony, the Baton will have travelled in excess of 190,000 km over a 340-day period. This will make the Queen’s Baton Relay one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

The Baton’s run in India for the 2010 Delhi Games will be twice as long as the Manchester and Melbourne relays, which lasted for 50 days each.

Queen’s Baton Relays have been the curtain raiser to every games since Cardiff, Wales, in 1958. The Queen’s Baton for 2010 Delhi Games contains Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘message to the athletes.’

The relay will conclude in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Oct 3. During the ceremony, the final Baton bearer will hand the baton back to Queen Elizabeth II or her representative, where the Queen’s message will be read aloud, officially opening the Games.