Baton run from Mdina

Twenty-one athletes from Athleta Pembroke Club ran from Cathedral Square in Mdina to City Gate in Valletta yesterday for the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay.

The jubilee baton was presented to President Guido de Marco at a ceremony at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, which was attended by 200 guests, including the British High Commissioner, Howard Pearce, and the president of the Malta Olympic Committe, Lino Farrugio Sacco.

The athletes were escorted through the arches of the garden by Knights of Malta re-enactors.

The placing of the baton into the ceremonial stand by the President was followed by fireworks, let off from the lower terrace of the gardens, and a fireworks display in Grand Harbour.

The first jubilee beacon on Fort St Angelo was also lit, followed by a chain of nine others across Malta, Gozo and Comino. Beacons were lit in all the Commonwealth countries, with Malta having the largest number outside Britain.

The President was also presented with a replica of the jubilee baton.

Today, runners and persons with a disability are leaving from Café Cordina in Valletta and, at City Gate, the baton is being passed on to cyclists. These are, in turn, passing it on to runners of St Patrick's Athletic Club at Paola.

After going through Cospicua, Cottonera, Zabbar and Fgura, the baton will be welcomed by the Paola mayor, its football and sports clubs and local youth associations.

The relay ends tomorrow evening.

On completion of the relay tour of the Commonwealth countries - the longest ever international relay - the baton is to be used to inaugurate the XVII Commonwealth Games being held in Manchester from July 15 to August 4.