Malawian girl ‘launches’ Commonwealth Relay Race
Malawi’s Monica Dzonzi was last week part of a gathering that launched the 2013 Queen’s Relay Race in London as the countdown to next year’s Commonwealth Games started.
The Queen handed over the official baton containing her message, which will remain secret until she reads it out at the opening ceremony in Celtic Park, in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 2 2014.
The unique object, crafted from titanium, wood and granite, will be taken to all 70 Commonwealth countries except the Gambia which recently announced it no longer wants to be part of colonial activities.
At a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, Britain’s most successful Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy carried the baton along and the Queen then placed her message of support to the Commonwealth athletes inside the baton’s lattice frame, before handing it over to former sprinter Allan Wells.
Wells, winner of four Commonwealth gold medals and the 100-metre sprint title at the 1980 Olympics, was joined by 25-year-old Dzonzi, a Unicef ambassador.
Dzonzi works at Bangwe Youth Centre, which belongs to Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (Ayise). The organisation is supported by Unicef Malawi.
