- The Commonwealth Games open Thursday in Birmingham.
- The multi-sport event will feature 4,500 competitors from 72 countries and territories.
- Queen Elizabeth has launched every Commonwealth Baton Relay since 1958.
Prince Charles will represent Queen Elizabeth at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on Thursday. Kate Middleton and Prince William will be seen at the event till August 8th.
The Commonwealth Games, also called the “Friendly Games,” feature competitors from 72 countries. Since 1930, they’ve been held every four years (excluding 1942 and 1946). The multi-sport event will feature 4,500 competitors from 72 countries and territories.
The Commonwealth Games have seen several sporting milestones. At the 1954 Vancouver Olympics, Roger Bannister and John Landy ran the first sub-4-minute mile.
According to the event’s website, the Games’ “encouraging spirit” has inspired athletes to run faster, leap higher, and push their bodies to the limit.
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The Commonwealth Games include para-sports.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Edward launched the Queen’s Baton Relay outside Buckingham Palace in October. Paralympian Kadeena Cox became the first baton carrier of the 294-day relay that visited all 72 Commonwealth nations and territories before arriving in Birmingham.
The baton carried a secret message from the Queen that will be read Thursday.
Queen Elizabeth has launched every Commonwealth Baton Relay since 1958; Prince Edward is vice-patron.
Prince Edward congratulated all participants before the opening ceremony.
“To all athletes, officials, spectators and visitors I bid you a very warm welcome and thank you all for coming. It simply wouldn’t be the great festival of sport it is without you,” he wrote. “Yet the Games are more than just about sport, they are the greatest manifestation of the Commonwealth: our extraordinary collection of countries linked together through a myriad of bonds of common interests and relationships. The parallel arts festival is an integral part of this celebration and reminds us of our shared values and the tremendous talent that exists across our family of nations.”
Queen Elizabeth’s attendance is uncertain. She spent last week at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
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