Bindra to lead Indian sportspersons in Queen's Baton Relay

Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will be among the host of Indian sportspersons participating in the Queen's Baton Relay in London Oct 29.

The Queen's Baton Relay, a curtain-raiser to the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, will be launched by Queen Elizabeth II, who will hand over the baton to India's President Pratibha Patil.

The baton will then be handed over to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chairman Suresh Kalamdi, who will pass it over to Bindra.

The baton will cover 190,000 km across Commonwealth countries over 340 days and enter India on June 25 through the Wagah border. It will reach Delhi Oct 1.

A 35-member contigent, including 11 baton bearers, will be present in London to kick off the tradition which dates back to 1958 in Cardiff.

Besides Bindra, Olympic bronze medallists Sushil Kumar, Vijender Singh, 1958 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Milkha Singh, 1983 cricket World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, Prakash Padukone, Dilip Tirkey and tennis ace Sania Mirza will particpate in the relay.

"The Queen's Baton Relay will bind the people of the Commonwealth as one, spreading the message of peace, goodwill and the joy of sport. It will touch the lives of millions of people," said Kalmadi.

The baton will travel 20,000 km in India, which is the maximum distance that has been ever covered in a host country.

The Queen's message to the athletes has been engraved onto a miniature 18-carat gold leaf that is representative of the ancient Indian palm leaf manuscript tradition.

Last updated on Oct 23^rd, 2009 at 20:02 pm IST--IANS