The KBR in Americas: Where Culture Carried the Baton
The King's Baton Relay journey through the Americas unfolded across a region shaped by coastline, rainforest, ancient history and vibrant modern communities. From late March to early May, the Relay traced a path through the nations and territories of the Commonwealth Americas on the road to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, carried by culture, sport and a shared sense of pride.
Across the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Guyana, Belize, Bermuda and Canada, the Relay was defined not by spectacle, but by the ways in which communities chose to make it their own.
The Americas leg began in the Falkland Islands, where the Baton was revealed at Government House in Stanley to the children who had helped shape its design through a public competition. Over six days, the Baton moved through schools, sports clubs, community groups and military settings, travelling as far as West Falkland by Islander aircraft. A beach clean at Whalebone Cove collected more than 5,000 pieces of plastic, one of the clearest illustrations of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign anywhere on the Relay's route.
In St Helena, the Relay unfolded across four days rooted in community and environment. Launched at the New Horizons Youth Club in Jamestown, it was the first occasion on which both the Baton and the island's Glasgow 2026 team were presented together. The Baton moved through Sandy Bay for a shoreline clean-up, past Longwood and the Millennium Forest, and on to an underwater clean-up at the yacht and dive clubs. On its final day, it reached more than 500 young people across the island's schools, a small territory making the most of every moment the Relay offered.
Guyana was next, where the Baton was officially received by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport alongside the Prime Minister before travelling through Georgetown as part of a programme built around sport, culture and national pride. For Guyana Olympic Association President Godfrey Munroe, the occasion carried a meaning that stretched well beyond ceremony.
“This symbolises what the Commonwealth Games represent: community, unity and using this as a vehicle for improving lives,” he said.
In Belize, the Baton was welcomed at a ceremony in Belmopan, where it was presented to Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam before being passed to cycling champion Alicia Thompson for a relay through to Belize City. British High Commissioner Alistair White described the Baton as “a powerful symbol of Commonwealth connection,” adding that it “reflects our shared values of friendship, cooperation and ambition.”
Bermuda brought a distinctly local creative energy to its Relay week. Designed by Bermudian artist Chyna Talbot, the Baton reflected the island's architecture, Gombey cultural tradition and Olympic identity. Athlete Syriah Lottimore addressed the island's young people at the unveiling.
“Bermuda's baton represents possibility; it represents your journey, your potential and everything that lays ahead. As we look to the future, let today serve as a reminder of what we can achieve when we come together in support of sport and community.”
Canada brought the Americas leg to a close with events stretching from Vancouver to Lake Ontario. The Burlington stop carried particular historical weight, returning the Relay to the birthplace of the Commonwealth Games movement. M.M. ‘Bobby’ Robinson, the Canadian sports administrator whose vision created what became the Commonwealth Games, spent his life just kilometres from where the Baton arrived.
“The many thousands of attendees in Scotland will not appreciate that their attendance owes itself entirely to the inspiration, creativity, and incredible resolve of a man who lived his entire life just 3 km up the road,” said Louis Frapporti of Commonwealth Games Canada.
Throughout the Americas, environmental action ran alongside the sporting and cultural programme. From the windswept beaches of the Falkland Islands to the shorelines of Belize and Bermuda, communities took part in clean-ups delivered in partnership with the Royal Commonwealth Society's Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, reflecting both the region's close relationship with the ocean and the shared responsibility behind the campaign's goal of preventing one million pieces of plastic entering Commonwealth waterways.
As the Relay now moves into Europe on the final stretch to Glasgow, the Americas leg leaves behind a record shaped by national pride, creative expression and genuine community participation. The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opens on 23 July 2026.
Watch the King's Baton Relay travel through the Americas here:
