Kochi all set to receive Queen`s Baton Relay on August 29

Kochi: The Queen`s Baton Relay, one of the greatest traditions of the Commonwealth Games, symbolising the gathering of people from across the commonwealth at a four yearly festival of sports and culture, will arrive Kochi on August 29. The QBR which is Union Territory of Lakshadweep, would be reaching at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at the nearby Nedumbassery by a Kingfisher flight, tomorrow at 4.30 PM. The Kochi leg of the relay will start from the synthetic rack at the Maharaja`s College, and will be carried by 81 people, including a galaxy of olympians and other celebrities during the rest of the day, Dr M Beena, Ernakulam District Collector, told mediapersons.The open vehicle carrying the baton that will set off from Maharaja`s College will pass through the Naval Base, Jewish Synagogue, St Francis Church before reaching the Bolghatty Palace. The stretch from St Francis Church to Bolghatty Palace will be covered by the relay team on a houseboat and the relay will culminate at the Regional Sports Centre in the city on the same day, where a cultural programme has been arranged, she said.Union minister of state for Agriculture, K V Thomas and Kerala Sports Minister, M Vijayakumar, will participate in the function at RSC, she said. Among the prominent former sportspersons who would be participating in the QBR includes Olympians T C Yohannan, O Handrasekhar, Shyny Wilson, Mercykuttan, Sebastian Xavier, KM Binu, Ranjith Maheswari, cricketers S Sreesanth and Tinu Yohannan. PTI