What is King’s Baton Relay in Commonwealth Games?

• The opening ceremony of the 23rd Commonwealth Games marked the conclusion of the King’s Baton Relay. 

• For the first time, all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories received and decorated their own Baton to represent their culture.

• As each team entered the venue, its Baton was placed in a central garden, reuniting all 74 after their journeys across the Commonwealth. 

• King Charles III read aloud the message he had placed into the King's Baton at Buckingham Palace in March 2025, which had since travelled through all 74 Commonwealth member nations during a 500-day global relay.

• The King’s Baton Relay was launched on Commonwealth Day with Sir Chris Hoy as its first Batonbearer. Chris Hoy, a Scottish track cyclist, is six-time Olympic gold medallist and two-time Commonwealth champion. 

• Across 500 days, the Baton visited all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories — the longest relay in the Games’ history — with each nation crafting and decorating its own Baton to reflect its culture and identity. 

King’s Baton

• The King’s Baton Relay is a tradition that celebrates and connects communities from across the Commonwealth during the build-up to the Games.

• Inspired by the three Commonwealth Games Federation values — Humanity, Equality, Destiny — three interlocking pieces of sustainably sourced ash (a hardwood from Scotland) come together to create the Baton’s form. 

• The negative spaces where the three pieces come together are a strong design feature, representing Commonwealth connections.

• In a break with recent tradition and like the first ever Queen’s Baton Relay in Cardiff in 1958, the Baton takes more of a traditional baton shape. 

• It is simple and sustainable — with no complex electronics or chambers, and is a blank canvas.

• Each end of the Baton is tapered to allow two people to hold the Baton at the same time, creating moments of connection throughout the King’s Baton Relay and across the Commonwealth.

• This Baton contains a cork chamber closure, emblazoned with a Saltire of wood, which will keep The Message safe and hidden until it is retrieved.

• For the first time ever, every Commonwealth nation and territory received their own Baton for their celebrations.

• They were asked to customise and decorate the Baton to represent their culture.

• All 74 batons reunited at the opening ceremony of Glasgow, where the final Baton was presented to the King and the message read aloud to declare the Games open.

• For the first time as part of The King’s Baton Relay, Commonwealth Sport partnered with the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign — bringing much-needed attention to both ongoing ocean conservation efforts and interesting new solutions to plastic waste.

• The campaign’s aim is for athletes and communities to come together to prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waters and spark lasting change in how we view plastic pollution.