President Kikwete receives the Queen's baton in dar

Tanzania's gold Medalist Mary Naali leads other Queen's Baton Bearers to the State House gardens in Dar es salaam this evening where a brief and colourful reception was hosted by President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete in honour of the Commonwealth Games symbol.
Tanzania's Gold medalist Mary Naali hands over The Queen's Baton to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete shorly after she arrived at State House in Dar es salaam this evening after a 12.4Km special run from the Uhuru stadium
A group of Indian girls performe an Indian traditional dance during the Queen's Baton Relay reception held at the State House Dar es Salaam this evening. President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete(Holding The Queen's Baton) pose for a group photograph with the the Organising committee members for the Queen's Baton Relay including Tanzania's all time top athletes - Filbert Bayi,Juma Ikangaa, Mwinga Mwanjala, Suleiman Nyambui and Gidamis Shahanga. Photos by Freddy Maro

THE QUEEN'S BATON RELAY

The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. It carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city's Commonwealth Day festivities. The Queen entrusts the baton to the first relay runner.

At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads the message aloud to officially open the Games.

About the Baton
The Baton design was inspired by a traditional Malay artifact, the 'Gobek', which is a unique cylindrical areca nut-pounder widely used and displayed in Malay homes.

The baton contains 71 lights on the front, representing the 71 member nations of the Commonwealth Games Federation. A video camera built into the front of the baton record continuously as the baton travels, and a GPS tracker is fitted, so that the baton's location can be viewed live on the Commonwealth Games Website.

THE 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the nineteenth edition of the Commonwealth Games, and the ninth to be held under that name. The Games are scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India, between 3rd October and 14th October 2010.

The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in New Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Dehli. It will also be the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998).