The Queen's Baton Relay has reached the Kingdom of Swaziland, South Africa. The country is famous for handmade articles and artifacts where service industry dominates its economy similar to socio-economic fabric of rural India.The Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 Queen's Baton Relay arrived at the capital city of Swaziland, the Mbabane after a two day stop over at Lesotho.
Mbabane, along with Manzini, the largest and main industrial hub, extended a warm welcome to the first batonbearer for the day, Mr. Robert Magagula, the President of the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA). Hundreds of people cheered the batonbearers on the streets of Swaziland as they carried the Baton past the landmarks that dot the streets of Manzini and Mbabane.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small country to the east of Southern Africa. Bounded to its east by Mozambique, South Africa shares the rest of landlocked Swaziland's borders.
The economy is dominated by the service industry, manufacturing and agriculture. Swaziland joined the Commonwealth in 1968 and made its debut in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, to boast a record thereafter, of fielding its sporting prowess in each and every edition of the Games.
Swaziland's first medal came at the 1974 Games in Christchurch when Richard Mabuza picked up a bronze for clocking 2 hrs 12 minutes 54.4 seconds in the men's marathon. In the last edition of the Games in Melbourne in 2006, Simanga Shiba took home a boxing Bronze Medal in the men's light flyweight class. The Swaziland National Olympic Committee was established in 1974 and is responsible for their country's participation at the Commonwealth Games.
The relay passed through the Old Trade Fair Gate, the Mahhala Complex, the Coronation Park, the Mananga Training Centre and the Olympafrica Centre in Manzini and Mbabane. Mrs. Vickey Nxumalo, Deputy Mayor of the Old Trade Fair region and Mr. Sibusio Dlamini, Honourable Member of Parliament were among the batonbearers. One of the highlights of the day was the traditional singing and dancing performance - Ummiso and Sibhaca, and a gymnastics display by three teams.
