The acting Country Director of British Council, Ghana Chikodi Onyemerela has urged participating countries of the 2022 commonwealth Games to take advantage on the event to strengthen connection between themselves.
He believes the event has provided a unique opportunity to build sports and citizenship connections between the host city Birmingham, countries and the geographies of the Commonwealth.
“There is no doubt that the games will further support as we build back our lives and recovery from the relics of the global pandemic,” he said at the Queens Baton relay sporting event organized in Accra to mark the arrival of the Baton in Ghana.
He also noted that “the British Council would leverage on these moment-in-time opportunity of multiple civic and cultural events in the UK to maximise opportunities for mutual benefits through exchange and collaboration between Ghana and the UK in the arts and education, offering value to disadvantaged social groups.”
On her part, the Development Director, Beth Cadman, UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) noted that, though the Baton represents a curtain raiser for the Games, it is as well a focal point for celebrating the diverse cultures of the Commonwealth and the shared links between people across the globe.
She also said the Commonwealth Games should be an opportunity to engage young people in sport.
In an address to officially open the sporting event, the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Evans Opoku Bobie said his outfit is committed towards supporting the Ghanaian team ahead of the games to prepare them for victory.
He disclosed that the country since the inception of the commonwealth games has won 57 medals consisting of 15 gold medals, 18 silver and 24 bronze medals.
For over 60 years, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been one of the most exciting events that heralds the commonwealth Games, reaching people from across the Commonwealth, passing a message of togetherness and hope as it travels.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a Games tradition that celebrates, connects and excites communities from across Commonwealth during the build up to the Games. The Baton, which carries a message from Her Majesty the Queen, arrived in Ghana as part of its journey to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in England from 28 July until 8 August 2022.
The Queen’s Baton will now visit all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth for 294 days, covering 140,000 kilometres.
The global journey will conclude at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2022. This collective journey will ignite hope, solidarity and collaboration for the next generation, with these stories leaving us all inspired to take on the challenges that matter most to us.
