The Commonwealth Sport King’s Baton Relay for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is a reimagined Relay for a new era. For the first time ever, each of the 74 Commonwealth nations and territories will receive their own Baton, proudly crafted in Glasgow.
His Majesty The King, Patron of Commonwealth Sport, has officially launched the inaugural Commonwealth Sport King’s Baton Relay for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day today, Monday 10 March 2025. His Majesty placed his Message to the Commonwealth into the first Baton, passing it to the first Batonbearer, Sir Chris Hoy, to start the relay with 500 days to go to the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2026.
After meeting Commonwealth Sport President Chris Jenkins, The King was introduced to the first four Batonbearers; Sir Chris Hoy, Sammi Kinghorn MBE, Paralympic and Commonwealth medal-winning T53 wheelchair racer from Scotland, Keiran Healy, Royal Commonwealth Society Volunteer, instrumental in the setup of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics project, and Gabriella Wood, Olympic and Commonwealth Judoka from Trinidad and Tobago, who studies at the University of Stirling. Sarah Adlington, two-time Commonwealth gold medal-winning Judoka from Scotland, and Kadeena Cox OBE, Paralympic gold medal-winner in T38 400m from England, will also take part in the event as Message bearer and Baton holder.
As the first Batonbearer, Sir Chris Hoy walked through the Quadrangle of Buckingham Palace to the Centre Arch with a pathway lined by Pipers from the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band.
The Caribbean is the first Commonwealth region destination for The King’s Baton Relay, with Trinidad and Tobago starting its Baton celebrations on Tuesday 11 March. Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023 and are set to showcase some of the legacy from hosting The Games during their Relay activities. The Caribbean part of the Baton Relay will culminate in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday 14 June, before the Relay moves to Africa (15 June to 24 October), then Asia (25 October to 21 December), Oceania (2 January to 26 March 2026), Americas (27 March to 6 May 2026), and Europe (8 May to 23 July 2026).
The King’s Baton Relay for Glasgow 2026 is a reimagined Relay for a new era. For the first time ever, each of the 74 Commonwealth nations and territories will receive their own Baton, proudly crafted in Glasgow, and simpler than past Museum-style batons to allow Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) to decorate their batons to showcase their own culture, creativity and vision. Batons can be painted, carved, or crafted – by artists, athletes or schools – and as simple or sophisticated as they choose.
The distribution of Batons means there will be no formal Baton handovers or costly or polluting travel and transit between nations and territories. Each nation and territory is encouraged to create opportunities for local people and places to celebrate and get involved, showcasing the uniqueness of different locations and taking a piece of Glasgow to the world.
Thanks to this innovative format, the 18th official Baton Relay will be the longest-ever relay for a Commonwealth Games, with the CGAs in the 74 nations and territories each having up to six days to organise their series of activities – more time to celebrate the Baton than ever before.
For the first time as part of The King’s Baton Relay, Commonwealth Sport is partnering 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 programme 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, with this global relay of plastic clean-ups journeying through every Commonwealth nation and territory as part of The King’s Baton Relay.
Commonwealth Sport President Chris Jenkins said, “We are delighted that The King is launching a Baton Relay reimagined for this new era, connecting the Commonwealth and celebrating culture, diversity, and, through our partnership with the Royal Commonwealth Society, a shared sustainable future. With special thanks to Longines for their support, the King’s Baton Relay will celebrate our athletes, past, present, and future, and unite our communities, enabling millions of people to join the countdown to the Commonwealth Games.”
Glasgow 2026 Chief Executive Phil Batty OBE said, “The King’s Baton Relay marks an exciting milestone for Glasgow and Scotland, officially starting the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. With 500 days to go, the relay holds special significance as the Batons are crafted in Glasgow, symbolising a part of Scotland being sent across the Commonwealth. We eagerly anticipate the Batons’ return to Scotland in July 2026 and look forward to planning a vibrant programme of activities with local communities, businesses, athletes, and artists.”
Royal Commonwealth Society Executive Chair Dr Linda Yueh CBE said, “The United Nations has identified plastic as the most harmful form of ocean pollution, with the Commonwealth being disproportionately affected due to nearly half of its members being Small Island Developing States. This highlights the importance of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, which, in partnership with Commonwealth Sport, aims to prevent plastic waste from entering waterways and contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14, ‘Life below Water.’ We’re excited to collaborate with athletes, youth, conservation groups, and communities across the Commonwealth to address not only plastic pollution today but also foster long-term behavioural change. With His Majesty The King’s long-standing commitment to the environment, we are proud that The King’s Baton Relay will feature this sustainability initiative.”
We’re excited to collaborate with athletes, youth, conservation groups, and communities across the Commonwealth
Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association President Diane Henderson said, “We are thrilled to commence the Caribbean Baton Relay celebrations, allowing us to showcase our youth legacies following the Commonwealth Youth Games Trinbago2023. We are also excited for the opportunity this gives us in sharing our plastic campaign for clean beaches and oceans, while being able to decorate the Baton gives us the freedom to creatively highlight our Trinidad and Tobago heritage.’’
The King’s Baton Relay will culminate at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2026 on 23 July 2026, a traditional and fundamental part of the Commonwealth Games. As part of the reimagined Relay, all 74 batons will be reunited, and His Majesty’s call to the athletes of the Commonwealth to come together in friendly competition will be read aloud by The King to mark the official start of the Commonwealth Games.
