THE VISION THING

The Commonwealth Games in Cymru / Wales in 1958 

With the 2016 Six Nations Rugby Championship kicking off today over the weekend it was particularly fitting for Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood to outline how a Plaid Cymru government would work to make Wales a globally recognised sporting stage by attracting some of the world's greatest championships and tournaments. If elected in May, a Plaid Cymru government, will bid for Wales to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026/2030, as well as bidding for the Tour de France to come to Wales, for both men and women. This would not only help raise Wales' profile as a nation that consistently punches above its weight in the sporting world, but would also secure a welcome boost for our vital tourism industry and leave a long lasting legacy.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood said:

"2016 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for Welsh sports. With our national football team making history by qualifying for the European Championships, and the Six Nations rugby tournament kicking off this weekend after a strong World Cup for Wales, we must make the most of these occasions.

"Plaid Cymru wants to harness the excitement and ambition that comes with our nation's great sporting successes, and prove that we can not only produce world-class athletes but also act as a world-class for some of the greatest championships and tournaments on earth.

"A Party of Wales government would want to bring the best international sporting occasions to Wales.

"We will develop a Commonwealth Games bid with Wales as the host nation in 2026/2030 - something that would not only have the potential to inspire a whole generation to get involved in sports but also secure a welcome boost for our tourism sector.

"We will also bid to bring the Tour de France to Wales, for both men and women, and work with sports associations and the tourist industry to identify other opportunities for Wales to act as hosts.

"Plaid Cymru knows that Wales has all the ingredients to be a global success story. Under our leadership, the next Welsh government will ensure that our nation is renowned for excellence, on and off the pitch."

OLYMPIC MEMBERSHIP?

Our country participates in the world of international sport in the FIFA World Cup, the European Football Championship, the Rugby World Cup, the Commonwealth Games. However, when it comes to the Olympic Games, our athletes compete have no choice but to participate as part of a Great Britain team. Yet over the last couple of weeks we have seen athletes from across the globe competing in the Olympics competing for states, nations, territories and unrecognised peoples and nations. 

Amongst the multitude have been athletes from Guam (population 159,358 in 2010) and São Tomé and Príncipe (Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe) with a population of 163,784 (in 2010), incidentally Swansea has a population of 232,500 (ONS) and Nauru (population 9,378 (in 2011) and Palau with a population 21,000 (Penarth has a population 20,396 in 2011 census) and Greneda (population 110,000) have been competing.

Now Olympic membership is not about population or political independence as non independent parts of other countries (notably Hong Kong) are able to compete - so why not Wales? Perhaps we need an Olympic Committee to actively press the case?

This would be start, aside from having to deal with hostility from the Westminster Government, a combination of inertia and indifference from the Labour in Wales in Cardiff, and also there would be the issue of self interest from the athletic associations who would no doubt object (perhaps motivated by the prospect of various gongs, trinkets and baubles and other inducements disappearing).

Aside from better sports funding there should be extra funding for education (in England) as an improvement in the educational system in England is necessary as some people (particularly commentators and media pundits) seem to be unable to tell the difference between Team GB (football) and England. Not to mention being unable to tell the difference between a national anthem and the anthem of a state.

At present Olympic Committees (admittedly as yet unrecognised) exist for Catalonia, Gibraltar, French Polynesia, Niue, Kosovo, Somaliland, New Caledonia, Kurdistan, Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia, the Native Americans, the Northern Mariana Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands. If they can do it so can we, so why not Cymru / Wales?