Brunei stop for Queen's Baton

05/07/1998

THE Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton relay will end its
international leg in Brunei today, after which will begin the elaborate
local run starting from Sabah and ending at the Bukit Jalil Main Stadium
on Sept 11.
Yesterday, the Singapore leg of the run started at the National Stadium
and ended at the compound of the Brunei High Commission.
Singapore National Olympic Council president Teo Chee Hean started the
run by handing the baton to Tan Howe Liang, a double gold medallist at the
1958 Games.
The international leg, which started when Datuk Punch Gunalan received
the baton from the Queen at the Buckingham Palace in London in March, made
its way to the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Australia before making its way
to Brunei.
"We have received 30 names from the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM)
for the final leg of the run from Dataran Merdeka to the Main Stadium in
Bukit Jalil," said Sports Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
"The names consist of past and present Commonwealth Games medal winners.
We have yet to sort out the final order of athletes."
Commonwealth Games Federation chairman Michael Fennell, Sukom Ninety
Eight executive chairman Tan Sri Hashim Ali and Muhyiddin will be at hand
to receive the Baton from Brunei in Sabah on Tuesday.
The design for the Baton has been conceptualised from a traditional
Malay artifact, the gobek - a unique cylindrical areca nut-pounder widely
used in the Malay household. The motif for the Baton also incorporates the
Bunga Raya (hibiscus).
The tradition of the Baton started at the 1958 Cardiff Games and carries
the Queen's message which will be read by the president of the
Commonwealth Games Federation Prince Edward during the opening ceremony of
the Kuala Lumpur Games.
Local Run - July 7-16 Sabah; July 17-Aug 7 Sarawak; Aug 8-10 Johor; Aug
11-12 Malacca; Aug 13 Negri Sembilan; Aug 14-17 Selangor; Aug 18-20 Perak;
Aug 21-22 Penang; Aug 23-24 Langkawi; Aug 25-27 Kedah; Aug 28-29 Perak;
Aug 30-Sept1 Kelantan; Sept 2-5 Terengganu; Sept 6-9 Pahang; Sept 10-11
Kuala Lumpur.
(END)