King and Sir Chris Hoy kick off Glasgow Commonwealth Games countdown
The King has been joined by cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy to officially start the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Charles handed a wooden baton to the six-time Olympic champion to launch the King's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace on Monday, with 500 days to go before the sporting event begins.
Glasgow was announced as the Games host for the second time last year after the original host, the Australian state of Victoria, was forced to withdraw.
The Games were previously held in the Scottish city in 2014.
Charles shared a laugh with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as he greeted guests in the palace's Marble Hall.
They included the first four baton bearers for the Games: Sir Chris, Scottish Paralympic and Commonwealth wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn, Royal Commonwealth Society volunteer Keiran Healy, and Gabriella Wood, an Olympic and Commonwealth judo athlete from Trinidad and Tobago.
British Paralympian Kadeena Cox and judo competitor Sarah Adlington then presented Charles with the baton and his message for the Commonwealth Games, with the latter tied in a red ribbon.
Charles placed the message into the baton, where it will remain until it is opened and read out at the opening ceremony.
Sir Chris, who won Commonwealth gold medals in 2002 and 2006, was handed the baton by Charles before walking through the palace's Quadrangle with a guard of honour provided by pipers wearing kilts.
Ms Kinghorn, Mr Healy and Ms Wood were each then handed the baton in turn before it left the palace grounds. The King's Baton Relay will begin in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking about the event afterwards, Sir Chris told the PA news agency: 'It's pretty special – I wanted to slow it down and not rush it too much.
'It's a very kind of private and intimate ceremony, almost – there's not thousands of people here, but it feels very special to be part of it and wonderful that we are in this 500 days to go with such a fantastic celebration.'
Sir Chris said Glasgow hosting the Games for a second time was 'fantastic for Scotland', adding: 'I think it's showing that Scotland can and does put on world class events in sport, and it only inspires us.'
The baton is comprised of three interlocking pieces of sustainability sourced ash, a Scottish hardwood, and was inspired by the three Commonwealth Games values of humanity, equality and destiny.
For the first time, each of the 74 nations and territories participating in the Games will have their own uniquely designed batons with a different word from the King's message engraved on them.
Mr Swinney told PA: 'There's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of warmth towards the Commonwealth Games.
'Of course, what we've had to do this time, we've stepped in very late in the preparations, when the Games were not going to be held in Australia, and we've provided the replacement venue, so the Games will be different.
'They'll give a different size and a different scale, but the reimagining of the Games is part of, I suppose, what Glasgow has been really good at. Glasgow has been a centre of invention in all of its history.'
The First Minister added: 'The baton is emblematic of the whole message of sustainability that lies at the heart of so much of our agenda in Scotland, about making sure that we address the climate challenge, that we ensure we act in a sustainable fashion.'
Charles attended the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey earlier on Monday alongside the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The King and Camilla will also attend a Commonwealth Day Reception at Marlborough House on Monday evening, where the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize will be awarded.
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2 next year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
42 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen Grammar School's Hampden heroes back together again 30 years on from famous win
The members of Aberdeen Grammar School's 1995 Scottish Schools' Senior Shield winning team were back together to toast a famous victory. The Grammar side, which included future Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson, defeated Dunfermline High School 4-2 in the final at Hampden Park to win the national competition. They remain the only team from the north-east of Scotland to have won the Senior Shield. Patrick O'Driscoll nodded Grammar in front after only five minutes before Anderson doubled the advantage with a header in the 20th minute. Steven Gilfeather put Grammar 3-0 up in the 33rd minute with a magnificent solo effort before Dunfermline fought back with two goals either side of the interval. Gilfeather put the game beyond doubt when he made it 4-2 in the 65th minute. Members of the team and their coach Mike McLeod met up on Saturday to reminisce about their Hampden triumph. Andrew Wilson, who played in goals for Grammar, said: 'It was a really nice occasion as it was 15 years since we last met up. 'Mike McLeod was there for the first part of the evening when we watched the highlights of the game and it was lovely to see him. 'He brought along a shirt signed by all the players that we'd given him at one of our earlier reunions. 'We went to the Ferryhill House Hotel for some food and then we went back to our captain Gav Hendry's house and ended up watching the DVD of the game two more times until about 3am.' Wilson said the journey through the early stages of the competition was almost as memorable as the final itself. He said: 'Along the way we played a number of teams who were probably on paper better than us but we just had enough good components and real character to win those matches in the earlier rounds. 'In several of the rounds we were behind at one point and managed to come back and win. 'I remember we played Carnoustie in the third round and we won 3-2 with a goal in the last minute. 'Somebody said 'our name is on the cup' and I didn't really take too much notice at the time but it just kept going with all these epic cup ties. 'In the following round we had to play down at Braidhurst High School, which I think is now a Scottish FA football academy. 'We won on penalties and we had to run off the pitch at the end as some of the locals started to come after us, which got a bit scary!' Former Dons captain Anderson was a key member of the victorious team but there were plenty of promising players in the Grammar ranks. Wilson said: 'Russell played in midfield for us. He was in the Dons youth set-up at the time and played for King Street Dons so he had a fair bit of juggling with the three teams. 'When we played in the final on the grand stage he really came into his own. 'He was tremendous. 'There was another guy, Paddy O'Driscoll, who went on to do a football scholarship in the United States. 'He is now running the women's team at Penn State. He gave us a video call on Saturday night. He was on a tour with his team and was speaking to us from the Copacabana Beach. 'Steven Gilfeather went to Dundee for a bit and then Raith Rovers. 'Andy McCraw played in Highland League, he was at Cove from the age of 16 for nine years. 'Gav Hendry, our captain, also played for Cove Rangers. 'Russell was the one who made it as a professional but we had enough decent players in the team.' The Grammar team were wearing the school's traditional rugby kits for the final, which gave their opponents plenty to ponder before the big match. Wilson said: 'When we were watching the DVD, something that was spoken about quite a bit was the rugby kit we had to play in. 'Our opponents got brand new kits for the cup final. 'I think they were looking at us in the tunnel before the game in our rugby kits and they weren't quite sure what to make of it. 'The kits were actually really heavy and the shorts were a bit ridiculous. Our centre-half was 6ft 3in and it looked like he was wearing hot pants!' The team intend to meet up again in five years' time. Wilson added: 'I think it is the oldest schools football tournament in the world so winning the final at Hampden is a great memory for the whole team. 'The lovely thing on Saturday was you could see everyone was delighted to be back together again. 'The oldest is 48 and youngest would have been 46. 'I think someone was saying we should try to meet up every five years. It felt like it had been too long. 'We had planned to do something for the 25 year anniversary in 2020 but then Covid kicked in and we couldn't do it. 'It was actually my Mum who filmed the game. She borrowed a video camera and took it to Hampden. 'It was lovely to watch the highlights and, looking back, we actually played some really good football.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Former Arsenal star jailed for four years for role in £600k drug smuggling plot
Footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been sentenced to four years in jail after last month pleading guilty to a cannabis importation charge over an attempt to smuggle £600,000 of the drug through Stansted Airport from Thailand. The 34-year-old striker was sacked by Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton after his arrest last year. The former Arsenal academy product initially denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty at a hearing on May 7 at Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex. "It is through your own actions you will no longer be known as a professional footballer," Judge Alexander Mills said before informing the footballer of his sentence.. "You will be known as a criminal. A professional footballer who threw it all away." The footballer, whose former clubs include Ipswich, Bristol City, QPR, Livingston, Aberdeen and Thai side PTT Rayong, had spent the past eight months on remand. But before his sentencing a letter from him to Judge Mills was read out in court. "This past year has been the most harmful and eye-opening of my life," he wrote. "At times it has been unbearable." He added that he "never imagined" he could be in this situation, and he "completely regrets but takes full responsibility for" his actions. He continued that seeing his daughter visit him in prison was one of the toughest moments of his life. "Watching her walk into the space broke me," he adds. "I never wanted her to see me in that light." Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road in Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland, was arrested in the town by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in September 2024 after the NCA seized an estimated £600,000 of the class B drug as it was being smuggled through Stansted on September 2. Border Force officers detected roughly 60kg (132lb) of the drug in two suitcases, which had arrived via a flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Co-defendants Rosie Rowland and Yasmin Piotrowska, who both denied charges having flown with the drugs, were already informed that they face no further action after prosecutors offered no evidence in their case. Ms Rowland, 29, of Southend Road, Chelmsford, Essex, and 33-year-old Ms Piotrowska, of Purves Road, Kensal Rise, north-west London, wept after learning of the verdicts last month. Ms Piotrowska, who was described in court as Emmanuel-Thomas' girlfriend, watched on from the gallery as the sentence was handed down. The court also heard that Emmanuel-Thomas had offered the women an all-expenses-paid trip to Thailand, as well as £2,500 in cash, for their role in the plot. Emmanuel-Thomas came through Arsenal's youth academy and spent three years on their books as a professional between 2008 and 2011. During that period he had loan spells at Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers and Cardiff City. He was then sold to Ipswich before moving to Bristol City and on to Queens Park Rangers. By 2019 Emmanuel-Thomas was playing for Thai club PTT Rayong but in recent years has turned out for Scottish clubs Livingston, Aberdeen and Greenock Morton. He also won a number of England underage caps.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Storm brews at Epsom over the 150-1 Derby outsider and his genius owner who wins millions with bargain horses
He is one of the sharpest operators in the game AL THE RAGE Storm brews at Epsom over the 150-1 Derby outsider and his genius owner who wins millions with bargain horses Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE is a storm brewing at Epsom - and not just with the weather. While the rain is set to pour on the Downs - and thunder and hail are forecast - there could be a tornado on the track. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Super shrewd owner Ahmad Al Shaikh has won a fortune from his bargain runners in the Derby - and he has another 150-1 outsider primed to strike this year Credit: PA Al Wasl Storm is the 150-1 outsider bookies are giving no hope in hell of winning the world's most prestigious Flat race. But his owner Ahmad Al Shaikh, a Dubai businessman who loves staying horses, knows exactly what it takes to plunder huge cheques with bargain basement horses. And he's done it loads before in the Derby. Hoo Ya Mal was a 150-1 runner-up in 2022 - his valiant second securing his owner a cheque for £350,000 before he sold him to Australia for £1.2million. A blinding bit of business as the horse has never bettered that second-place finish. Khalifa Sat was second two years before that at whopping odds of 50-1, landing Al Shaikh a cheque for just north of £100,000. When 25-1 Deira Mile and 50-1 Sayedaty Sadaty were fourth and fifth respectively last year, the gravelly-voiced Al Shaikh left Epsom a staggering £125,000 better off. In a world where horses are routinely sold for seven figures, Al Shaikh refuses to ever spend more than £80,000 - even though he and his Green Team operation have combined to win over £1m in recent years. For every purchase, he goes through their pedigrees himself (paying particular attention to the third dam) making sure they match what he likes. Which brings us back to Al Wasl Storm. Trained by Owen Burrows, the three-year-old colt was bought for just £5,900 at the sales in November 2022. He was dead last on debut at Newbury in April then came second to fellow Derby runner Rogue Impact at Lingfield. His last run was his best, winning over the 1m4f Derby trip at Chester and staying on well to the line. The £20,616 Al Shaikh, under the Green Team banner, pocketed there was nice. But it's an amazing £900,000 for winning the Derby - and the potential in stud fees as a result is practically unlimited. As an example, former Derby winner Galileo was rumoured to charge £600,000 a cover at stud before he died. So while the likes of Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix and Charlie Appleby's Ruling Court head the market, if you fancy one at a price keep looking further and further down the racecard. All the way to 150-1, where you find Al Wasl Storm. History shows he is bound to outrun his odds. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
