EPAKing Charles will launch the King’s Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace later, forward of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Video games.
It’s the 18th official Commonwealth Video games relay and marks 500 days till the occasion begins on 23 July subsequent yr.
He’ll hand the baton to champion bicycle owner Sir Chris Hoy – the primary bearer on its journey around the globe.
The relay, which begins in London as part of Commonwealth Day celebrations, would be the King’s first as head of the Commonwealth.
PA MediaFollowing Sir Chris Hoy, the subsequent three baton bearers will probably be wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn, ocean plastics campaigner Keiran Healy and Trinidad & Tobago judo athlete Gabriella Wooden – who research on the College of Stirling.
Trinidad & Tobago would be the first vacation spot for the relay.
The King will place a sealed message into the baton. It’s going to stay inside till the opening ceremony when will probably be learn out to mark the beginning of video games.
In the meantime, First Minister John Swinney will probably be in London later to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service of celebration at Westminster Abbey.
PA MediaSwinney stated the video games had been a “large alternative for Scotland on the world stage”.
He added: “Glasgow already has an amazing file for internet hosting, receiving worldwide recognition for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Video games.
“Glasgow 2026 will deliver large financial advantages to the town and help upgrades to sporting services – benefitting people, communities and golf equipment.”
The occasion will happen in Glasgow from twenty third July to 2nd August subsequent yr.
It’s going to function a 10-sport programme with athletes from 74 nations and territories.
Why is Glasgow internet hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Video games?
Glasgow was introduced because the host of the 2026 Video games after the Australian state of Victoria – which had been on account of host – withdrew over rising prices.
The deal was secured after the Scottish authorities agreed to again it and the Victoria state administration promised a £2.3m funding.
Scottish authorities minister Neil Grey stated on the time the truth that the town was requested to step in and host the video games was a “testomony to Glasgow and Scotland’s implausible popularity for internet hosting worldwide occasions”.
Organisers have said the Video games will come for gratis to the Scottish public purse, with funding coming from compensation paid to the Commonwealth Video games Federation after the Australians pulled out.
The UK authorities will present monetary help within the occasion of any elevated safety menace however has stated it is not going to fully underwrite the Video games.
What number of sports activities and what number of medals will probably be up for grabs?
The ten-sport Glasgow Video games will probably be a scaled-back model of the final time the town performed host in 2014.
The general variety of sports activities has halved from 20 in Birmingham in 2022 to fight rising internet hosting prices and time calls for.
Nevertheless, greater than 200 gold medals will nonetheless be contested at venues inside an eight-mile hall of the town.
Swimming, monitor biking and Para sports activities will every boast extra medallists than in any of the earlier 22 iterations of the Video games.
And athletics may have two new occasions – the blended 4x400m relay and the Commonwealth Mile, which replaces the 1500m.
Para sports activities will probably be absolutely built-in throughout six of the ten disciplines, with a Video games file of 47 medal occasions in whole.
A complete of 26 biking golds will probably be fought for on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, with eight of these in Para-track biking. That’s double the quantity on provide three years in the past.
And 56 will probably be on provide at Tollcross Worldwide Swimming Centre, with the boys’s 800m and girls’s 1500m freestyle races included for the primary time.
