YOUTH and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is confident the Malaysian contingent to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia will surpass the achievement at the 2014 edition.

The Malaysian contingent collected six gold, seven silver and six bronze to finish 12th out of 37 countries at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, Scotland. 

“I am confident that we can top our (medal) haul at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games,” he said after receiving the Queen’s Baton Relay delegation led by the team’s liaison officer Kerry Thompson in Putrajaya today.

A tradition of the Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay travels through Commonwealth nations and territories before arriving at the venue next year. 

The baton carries a message from Queen Elizabeth II that calls on the Commonwealth’s athletes to come together in peaceful and friendly competition.

Setting out from Buckingham Palace on March 13, the baton will travel on a 388-day journey of 230,000km through all 70 Commonwealth nations and territories.

The Queen’s Baton Relay delegation arrived in Malaysia – the 54th country in the relay – on Monday and has visited several destinations including the Bukit Jalil National Stadium and the Raja Muda Forest Reserve in Kuala Selangor.

After Malaysia, the baton, which is equipped with GPS and can be tracked online, will leave for Brunei.

The baton is expected to arrive in Gold Coast on April 4 for the official opening of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where Queen Elizabeth II or a representative will remove the message and read it aloud to officially open the event. – Bernama, October 19, 2017.