Episode 8 Queen's Baton Relay

For the past seven months, an epic journey has been under way.

Ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer,

the Queen's Baton Relay has been on an incredible global voyage

to 70 of the nations and territories that make up the Commonwealth.

I feel so very happy!

Touching lives across the world.

It helps our younger generation to be inspired.

But now the baton is almost home

and travelling with it is adventurer Mark Beaumont.

I'd love to see your other triathletes

racing on bikes like this, on roads like this!

As the journey enters its final phase before returning to the

British Isles,

he will meet the competitors preparing for the Games ahead.

We are very honoured to represent our country in this way.

And the communities coming together to support them.

I know how much he is working out and training for this,

and we all wish him the best of luck.

This is the Queen's Baton Relay.

The baton is nearly home,

and the final part of its relay around the Commonwealth

begins here, in the sun-drenched islands of the Caribbean.

For the competitors along the way, the next few weeks will be

critical as they prepare for the upcoming Games in Glasgow.

But that's only part of the story,

because these athletes are also using their sport to change

lives and transform communities.

To me, sports is the best way to turn around lives on the island.

That's what I encourage them - if I can, they can too.

The Bahamas is a country that draws visitors from all over the world,

famous for its year-round sunshine and crystal-clear waters.

Among the baton bearers are two athletes

who are part of a sport that is sweeping the nation.

The Bahamas isn't normally known for judo.

But in a region where athletics often takes centre stage, this

martial art has become the fastest-growing sport in the country.

Its success is largely down to one family - the Rahmings.

One more time.

They want to show Mark exactly what it takes to win.

HE GROANS

Argh! Man down!

Very impressive, I'm not sure I can live that down -

beaten by a 19-year-old!

But you should be good, you're going to the Commonwealth Games!

What's it going to be like competing at Glasgow as a family team?

We're very honoured to represent our country in this way

for the sport of judo.

And what's the family team like?

We eat together and then we also practise together

so you can't really bring things back home sometimes.

But you definitely know my training partner, and my coach, so...

Our coach is Dad, so that brings up an interesting dynamic.

There's the athlete/coach relationship

but there's also the father/daughter, father/son relationship.

And then we also have our relationships.

Of course we get on each other's nerves at times,

but who doesn't?!

At the head of the family is D'Arcy Rahming.

He has converted the family home into a fully equipped dojo,

which has now become

the official headquarters of the National Judo Association.

What will it be like to watch your son

and daughter competing at the Commonwealth Games?

It is a really great honour,

as well as a great challenge.

It is extremely significant for our sport,

as the Commonwealth Games are near and dear to the heart of

the Bahamian people.

To have your sport represented there and to have

your own children in your sport represented there

is the highest honour.

But for the Rahmings, it's not all about medals.

D'Arcy is on a mission to spread judo across the country,

by opening outreach centres for disadvantaged kids.

So far, the programme has been a remarkable success.

What's your motivation for setting up these centres?

We have three centres around the island

and we intend to have ten within the year.

The motivation is to produce social change

through having international standards of sports

and judo in particular.

MAN STARTS BOUT

I can imagine all ages,

all backgrounds love the physical aspect of something like judo.

I can see training's already started!

Judo is perfect because it's an international sport.

It has all the components of competing against

another human being, as well as high standards.

It can be done from the grassroots in city levels,

all the way up to elite level.

Starting with just a few classes after school,

the programme has grown dramatically with over 200 kids enrolled so far.

For the parents, it's already having a huge effect.

It's the discipline, and the control,

and even eating habits and exercising too.

Yeah. And so that's why I like it, because it helps me.

They also teach, like, unity within the community

because you have different students within the community who they have

never even seen before, you know, and it brings them together as one.

What is your big plan?

What are you trying to do with judo in the Bahamas?

Judo is not the primary sport of the Bahamas

but in ten years, we think it will be.

It's because of our work in community centres,

it's because of our passion for it.

I see judo as being a tool, not just for elite level

but for social change and transformation.

In Turks & Caicos, it's not only the athletes who are hard at work.

These islands attract 350,000 visitors a year

and the tourism industry makes up nearly half the national revenue.

Keeping all these tourists fed and watered is no easy task.

And for the crowds here,

one Caribbean tradition is proving especially popular.

Throughout the Caribbean leg of the journey,

we've come across these amazing fish fries everywhere.

And I've yet to actually try one.

We've got a chef here. What exactly are you cooking?

Well, I'm frying some fish,

and we're also having some fish grilled over here.

We have the grouper filet,

we got the snappers stuffed in the foil paper.

What's your barbecue made out of?

Well, it's made from old rims of cars, you know,

we recycle everything, we don't throw stuff away.

Is that the first order of the evening?

Yeah. That's the first order.

That's the grilled grouper, that sells real good.

Right, we got an order. Fish burger.

Heat that up?

We got some fried grouper that was fried just a couple of minutes

-earlier...

-Freshly fried.

-Take it over here.

Then you get some lettuce from there.

I could get the hang of this, but I'd end up eating it all.

Here we go. Fresh as they come, enjoy!

On the other side of the Caribbean Sea lies Belize,

the only Commonwealth country in Central America...

..where the streets of San Pedro serve as the training ground

for one remarkable triathlete.

Hey! Good run?

-Yeah. Good run, man.

-Pretty warm?

Yeah, I'm used to this.

This is the time of day I usually train.

I cannot believe you train on these bikes.

Where are we going to go?

We're going to go over that way, so we can get a glimpse of what I do.

I know it's different from what I'll be facing in the Commonwealth Games,

but this is what I have and this is what I have to work with.

So let's go, man.

Kent Gabourel trains on heavy steel beach bikes.

With wide tyres, one gear and no brakes, they're nothing like the

road bikes he will use to compete in Glasgow in just a few weeks' time.

And now you're onto the rough stuff!

Yeah, this is what I have to deal with every time in my training.

This is totally different from what I will meet in Glasgow!

I mean, this is more like mountain biking.

I'd love to see your other Commonwealth triathletes

training on bikes like this, on roads like this.

Oh, yeah, I would definitely whip them because I have the advantage.

This is what I'm accustomed, this is all I need to ride best.

Kent began his career as a professional footballer, only taking

up triathlon after his retirement three years ago at the age of 30.

Being really realistic, having only just picked up the sport,

what is your hopes at the Commonwealth Games?

Well, just to get there,

and get the opportunity to get there, is a plus for me.

And for me to be in the Games, just to show other

up-and-coming triathletes that if I can do it,

and I just got into the sport, they coming behind is like a road

pavement for them, so they can do it in the future.

But potholed roads aren't the only challenges people face here.

Belize may be the least populated state in Central America,

but according to the UN,

it is the third most violent country in the world.

For Kent, sport has the potential to turn

this alarming statistic around.

What is it that you are worried about?

What is it that the children are getting into?

Well, drugs.

Drugs and gangs, that's one of my main things that I worry about here.

I hate to see young guys throw away their lives, you know,

in such manner.

So that's why I try to educate them as much as I can.

One young person he has already helped is Nestor.

After a short time in jail, he joined a football club run by Kent.

His ambition now is to turn professional.

I was into bad things, and doing things.

Now all my friends see I am doing football

so they're going to keep out of trouble and be someone like me.

If I can do it, they can do it too.

Well, my mum right now, she's proud of me

because I stopped doing bad things in the street.

She said the day she can see me on the TV,

she's going to be happy seeing her son playing football and stuff.

I hurt my mum a lot early,

so now it's time to change and show her who I am, the real I am.

Now Kent is helping to train the next generation of triathletes.

And it's working.

One of the kids he has supported has gone on to become the national

junior triathlon champion.

Given the huge impact Kent has had on these kids' lives,

it's not surprising they'll be following him closely

when he travels to Glasgow later this year.

We all hope the best for him

when he goes to represent Belize,

because I know how much he's working

out and training for this, and we all wish him the best of luck.

After a short stop in Bermuda, the baton heads north to Canada.

Covering six time zones,

this vast country is the second largest in the world.

It has around half the population of the UK,

but is nearly 40 times bigger.

And one thing it's definitely got is a strong

Commonwealth Games heritage.

In 1930, the first competition, then known

as the British Empire Games, took place here in Hamilton, Ontario.

One athlete who remembers the event, and who competed just four

years later at the Empire Games in London, is 98-year-old Vi Smith.

What's your memory of running in London in 1934?

What was the event like?

It was a lot of fun.

We met a lot of people from other countries.

And it was very nice to know that you could call on them

if you were in your country.

And you've got a big team going to Glasgow this year.

I understand you were at the 1986 Games

the last time they were in Scotland.

Do you think the Canadian team will have fun in Scotland this year?

I hope so. I hope so!

They shouldn't be there if they don't do well.

Yeah, they'll do well.

Canada have been one of the most successful nations

at the Commonwealth Games,

and they'll be sending one of the biggest teams to Glasgow 2014.

But one area that they have struggled to get the same success

as the likes of Australia and England is track cycling.

In the Niagara Falls History Museum,

one assistant curator hopes to turn this to her advantage.

Sara Byers has worked at the museum for over ten years,

but when she's not looking after the exhibits

her dream is to represent Canada as a track cyclist.

So I guess most of your competitors are in the velodrome,

and here you are, alone, in the cold and the wind.

-That's got to make it a bit more challenging.

-Yeah, it sure does.

Makes me tougher!

Do you need a few standing starts?

-Yes, that would be great if you could hold me.

-OK.

-OK, I've got you.

-OK.

-Ready?

-Ready.

Three...two...one... Go, go, go, go, go!

Track cycling is an indoor sport,

but the lack of indoor facilities, combined with Canada's

famously harsh winters, means participation is relatively low.

But for 35-year-old Sara

these challenges present a unique opportunity,

because, at an age when most cyclists would be

thinking about retirement, her career is only just beginning.

Well, it started as a way to lose weight, I think.

I was approaching my 30th birthday and I was very unfit

and not feeling very good about myself, so I wanted to lose weight.

And when I decided to do it I wanted to do it as quickly as possible

and get on with my life.

And a by-product of that was getting into cycling.

Cycling has helped Sara lose a third of her body weight.

Now she's tantalisingly close to

qualifying for the Commonwealth Games.

But it hasn't been an easy journey.

Her husband and coach, David Jack,

has been instrumental in helping Sara

maintain her bikes and raise funds for travel and equipment.

Because of her age, a lot of the government funding that's available

isn't available to her.

The under-23 athletes get all that sort of cash.

She found a system that she was able to spread the word through

social media.

And it's really neat

because people she's never even met were contributing.

If you get to go out there and wear the Canadian strip,

what will that mean to you?

It would mean a lot to me just to prove to myself what I can do

and how far I can push myself.

And representing my country, women,

and representing the older crowd that's into sport.

And proving that you can do whatever you want, at any age,

and any ability, that you have it in you to set whatever goal you want

and go for it.

Prove people wrong!

From Canada, the baton leaves one continent and heads to another,

as it crosses the Atlantic for the last time on its way to Europe...

..where, in Cyprus,

another athlete is proving that age is no barrier to success.

At 36, Herodotos Giorgallas is not your average gymnast.

And he isn't ready to bow out any time soon.

TRANSLATION: These are the sixth Commonwealth Games

I am taking part in.

It is very difficult to get to the highest level of sport

and even harder to stay there.

It needs a lot of work and a lot of patience.

Herodotos won his first gold at the Commonwealth Games

in Manchester in 2002.

A lot changed after I won the gold medal.

First of all, that year I became the top athlete in Cyprus.

Many more people took up sport

and they also built new sports facilities.

Herodotos may be training hard for the next Games,

but that isn't his only focus,

because he's also coaching the next generation of Cypriot gymnasts.

Herodotos' success at the Commonwealth Games in 2002

brought instant recognition to the sport in Cyprus

and secured enough funding to create a real legacy in the country.

It's not easy to build this kind of momentum.

But it's a success story

that the next country on the baton's journey is hoping to repeat.

Malta is a country steeped in history and tradition.

And one ancient sport is hoping for a change of fortunes

at this year's Commonwealth Games.

Wrestling is one of the smallest sports,

but one of the sports that brings results for Malta.

I took part in the 1994 Olympic Games.

I came 12th in the Olympic Games.

I came sixth in the World Championships in Cadets.

It's a good result for Malta.

It is a small sport, but with the heart of a lion.

But the ambition of the country's wrestlers

isn't matched by the funding their sport attracts.

Andrea Saliba is a flight attendant for the national airline.

And, like the other athletes here,

he usually has to cover the cost of travelling and competing himself.

Here in Malta we don't train professionally,

we train with our heart and with our...we give it our all.

But you have to juggle between,

as I said, work, studies, and then training.

So it's slightly more difficult at the same time.

Accompanying Andrea is team-mate Adam Vella.

He may be an accountant,

but he is also the country's number one wrestler and relishes

the prospect of competing against the world's finest athletes.

They might be better than me, but once I am in the ring

I try to focus on my abilities, not on my opponent.

So I've prepared for it, so just bring it and we'll see then.

With the Games just a few weeks away,

this team of amateur wrestlers are painfully aware that there's

a lot riding on their performance in Glasgow.

Having a success in such a great tournament

such as the Commonwealth Games, it will give more exposure to the

sport and probably will attract more youths to the sport.

If someone from these two wrestlers who are going for the Commonwealth brings a medal in these games, yes,

for us it will be better.

Even financially, from the government, yes.

It can bring some money, yes.

With Glasgow 2014 just around the corner these

athletes are at the top of their game. As Mark is about to find out.

How he moves - he has a good position for wrestling.

He is strong!

I guess you won points that time!

The wrestlers here know there's a lot at stake this summer.

But like athletes from the Caribbean, Canada,

and throughout the baton's journey, this hasn't stopped them battling

the odds and working to inspire the next generation of athletes.

In Gibraltar,

two of those athletes are gearing up for the competition of their lives.

Yeah, everyone's really excited to go.

Everyone's training really hard and we can't wait to go.

It's picking up a lot now that the baton has arrived,

so I think it's hit home for everyone this

weekend that we are going, we are a team and it is happening.

We are going to do this!

The baton just makes it all real.

The two sisters live in a territory famous for the imposing rock

that dominates the skyline, and for its historical ties with the UK.

But for the relay, Gibraltar takes on a very special significance.

These are wonderful scenes.

So, so many people have come out, of all ages, to be a part of the Queen's

Baton Relay as it's making its way around the Rock, around Gibraltar.

And it's a significant stop

because it's the last before it reaches the British Isles.

What an incredible journey it has been!

In 214 days, the baton has clocked up an incredible 120,000 miles -

the equivalent of travelling nearly five times around the world.

It has travelled to 63 nations and territories across the globe,

on one of the most ambitious journeys ever undertaken.

In October 2013 the baton relay set off from Buckingham Palace to

India, the home of the last Commonwealth Games

in 2010, before travelling across Asia...

I feel deeply proud about this moment.

..and then to Gold Coast in Australia,

where the next Games will be held in 2018...

..through the islands of the South Pacific where

some of the smallest and most remote

communities in the world are making an impact across the globe...

I want the big world to know that we're not just a tiny dot island!

WHOOPING

..across the ocean to Africa - a vast continent full of energy

and determined athletes...

It is a special feeling to know you have been chosen to represent a nation.

..and then to the Atlantic islands of St Helena and the Falklands...

Absolutely wonderful! Brings all the Commonwealth together.

..before heading to the white sands of the Caribbean, where

a new generation of athletes is taking on the world...

I want to become the world's fastest man!

..and finally, on the long road to success in Canada,

through Europe, always coming closer to home,

until, after seven months travelling around the world, the baton

touches down in Jersey.

It's the first stop on its journey through the British Isles and

its arrival has attracted quite a crowd and a lot of media attention...

..because it just so happens that today the baton is being

carried by one of the biggest names in British sport.

It's a massive honour to bring this baton

back into the British Isles

'and the crowd here has been amazing,'

the reception's been incredible and, you know what,

it means the Commonwealth Games are getting really close now.

Now the journey continues.

Over the next ten weeks, more than 4,000 people will

carry the baton across the length and breadth of the British Isles...

..giving everyone along the way a chance to become

part of the Commonwealth Games story and bring the baton home.