Kumble, Dravid, Padukone to welcome QBR to Bangalore

Former Team India skippers Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid and badminton legend Prakash Padukone will be among the sport stars who will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay for the Delhi Commonwealth Games to Bangalore on Thursday.

Former Team India skippers Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid and badminton legend Prakash Padukone will be among the sport stars who will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay for the Delhi Commonwealth Games to Bangalore on Thursday.

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Besides, others who will participate in the relay include cricketing legends GR Vishwanath, Karnataka's first Olympian Kenneth Powell, Dronacharya Award winning boxer Captain M Venu and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi.

Asian Games hockey gold medalist Sabu Varkey and Arjuna Awardees Chetan Baboor (table tennis), Nisha Millet (swimming), Reeth Abraham (athletics) and Ashwini Nachappa (athletics) will also be among those participating.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will receive the baton along with the state Olympic Association President K Govindraj.

The baton will travel to Hassan on September 4 and then to Mangalore before concluding its Karnataka journey at Karwar. It then reaches Panjim in Goa on September 7.

The Bangalore leg would mark Day 69 of the 100-day QBR journey. The South India leg of the relay commenced mid-August in Hyderabad and has extensively covered Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Kerala before entering Karnataka through Mysore.

The QBR has seen widespread participation from former and current athletes and sportspersons apart from enthusiasts from all walks of society including the youth, students, celebrities and the political spectrum.