The European tour of the Queen's Baton Relay ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in India will be completed in Malta between tomorrow and Monday.

The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) have drawn up a packed programme to mark the occasion. This will be the third time that the Queen's Baton Relay has passed through Malta. The baton will head to Sierra Leon after the Malta leg.

The Queen's Baton Relay is one of the oldest traditions of the Commonwealth Games, having been the curtain-raiser to every Games since Cardiff 1958. The relay symbolises the gathering of people from across the Commonwealth at the four-yearly festival of sport and culture.

The India High Commission in Malta will host a reception tomorrow and the Queen's Baton will be accompanied by traditional regatta boats and swimmers during a tour of Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour on Sunday.

Later in the evening, the Queen's Baton will be on display during the MOC's Sports Awards gala night at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.

On Monday, the Queen's Baton will visit the schools of Sacred Heart, Sliema, the Gżira Primary, San Ġwann and Pembroke. School children will then participate in a special run along the Sliema front, starting at 11 a.m.

Travelling with the Queen's Baton will be Ian Emerson, regional vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Avny Lavasa, representative of the Organising Committee, and Annemaree Lavella, relay consultant.

The Delhi 2010 Queen's Baton journey is the longest and most technologically advanced to date. The tour was launched on October 29 at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's Baton will travel through all the Commonwealth countries until it lands in India where it will spend 100 days touring the 28 states.