Rwanda will host the King’s Baton Relay, formerly known as the Queen’s Baton Relay, for the sixth time, from October 25 to 30. Ahead of every edition of the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth nations and territories take part in the Relay, a symbolic event that carries a message from UK’s King Charles to all Commonwealth members. The Baton Relay celebrates unity, diversity, and shared Commonwealth values. Rwanda will be the final African nation to host the Baton before it continues its journey across Asia. As a member of the Commonwealth, Rwanda has previously hosted the Baton Relay in 2014, 2017, and 2021, and will once again take part in the event ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The 2025 King’s Baton Relay officially began on March 10, 2025, at Buckingham Palace, where King Charles placed his message to the nations inside the first Baton. Over a 500-day journey, the Baton will visit all 74 Commonwealth countries and territories, making it the longest relay in Commonwealth Games history. This year’s Relay introduces a new format. With a stronger focus on environmental and financial sustainability, each participating country will, for the first time, receive its own Baton. Unlike previous museum-style designs, the new Batons can be decorated locally to celebrate each nation’s culture and identity. For the first time, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will partner with the Royal Commonwealth Society to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, an initiative aimed at preventing one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways before the Glasgow 2026 Games. In Rwanda, the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA Rwanda) will organise a one-day activity at Kivu Beach in Rubavu District on October 25, followed by a reception at the British High Commission Residence in Kigali on October 30 to mark the successful completion of the African leg of the Relay. Over 150 community members are expected to take part in the celebrations, which will feature Baton presentations, sports events, and a community plastic clean-up campaign.
