Governing bodies of sports in Wales
Encyclopedia
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, some tracing their history to the 19th Century. Many cooperate with similar bodies from other countries to agree rule changes for their sport. Most implement decisions made by the international bodies to which they belong. Some, such as the Welsh Sports Association, cover a range of sports. Most of the governing bodies involved in competitive sports select, organise and manage individuals or teams to represent their country
Countries of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...
at international events or fixtures against other countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
.
Sport Wales recognise over fifty governing bodies of sports in Wales, which represent their sports.
Multi-sport bodies
Federation of Disability Sport Wales
The Federation of Disability Sport Wales is the national pan-disability governing body of sports organisations that provides local sporting and physical activity opportunities to disabled people in Wales....
is the national pan-disability governing body of sports organisations that provide local sporting and physical activity opportunities to disabled people in Wales. The Federation of Disability Sport Wales is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens , currently known as SWALEC Stadium under a naming rights deal, is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1.6 kilometres north of Cardiff Arms Park. It was named after Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings...
, Cardiff.
Sport Wales is responsible for developing and promoting sport and active lifestyles in Wales. It was established in 1927 with the objectives of "fostering the knowledge and practice of sport and physical recreation among the public at large in Wales and the provision of facilities thereto". Sport Wales is the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
's main adviser on sporting matters and is responsible for distributing National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
awards to sports in Wales. Sport Wales is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
The Welsh Sports Association
Welsh Sports Association
The Welsh Sports Association is an independent, umbrella body, supporting and representing the national and international interests of all the national governing bodies of sport and physical recreation in Wales. It has a membership of over 60 NGBs...
(WSA) (established 1972) is an independent, umbrella body, supporting and representing the national and international interests of all the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport and physical recreation in Wales. It has a membership of over 60 NGBs. The WSA acts as an independent consultative body to the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
, Sport Wales and to UK Sport
UK Sport
UK Sport is the UK Government's organisation for directing the development of sport within the home countries.-History:The Sports Council previously had been formed in 1972, and had the motto Sport for All. There was also the Central Council of Physical Recreation. In July 1994 it was decided to...
. The Welsh Sports Association is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Angling
The Federation of Welsh AnglersFederation of Welsh Anglers
The Federation of Welsh Anglers is the umbrella body for the three national governing bodies for sea, coarse and game fishing in Wales – the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers, the Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers and the Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association...
(FWA) is the umbrella body for the three national governing bodies for sea
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, coarse
Coarse fishing
Coarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for angling for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish . The sport and the techniques used are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.-History:The term "coarse fishing"...
and game fishing in Wales—the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers, the Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers and the Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association. It is responsible for angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
coaching development in Wales. The FWA is based in Hirwaun
Hirwaun
Hirwaun is the name of a village at the northwest end of the Cynon Valley in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The village of Hirwaun is from the town of Aberdare, and comes under Aberdare for postal reasons...
, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers
Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers
The Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers is the national national governing body for coarse fishing in Wales. It was established in 1977 and by 2003 had 69 affiliated clubs and over 23,000 members....
(WFCA) is the governing body for coarse angling in Wales. It was established in 1977 and by 2003 had 69 affiliated clubs and over 23,000 members. The WFCA is based at Briton Ferry
Briton Ferry
Briton Ferry is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The town encompasses the electoral wards of Briton Ferry East and Briton Ferry West....
, Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
.
The Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers
Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers
The Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers is the national governing body of sea angling in Wales. It organises major angling events at regional and national levels...
(WFSA) (established 1955) is the governing body of sea angling in Wales. The WFSA organise major angling events at regional and national levels. The WFSA fights for member clubs' access to, and fishing from, threatened facilities, as well as organising the election of individuals and teams to represent Wales at international sea angling competitions. The Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers is based in Bargoed
Bargoed
Bargoed is a town in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly and straddles ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council,...
, Caerphilly County Borough.
The Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association
Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association
The Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association is the governing body for game angling in Wales. It has about one hundred member clubs. Founded as the Welsh Fly Fishing Association in 1952, the WSTAA organises national and international angling competitions, including two major World Fly Fishing...
(WSTAA) is the governing body for game angling in Wales and has about one hundred member clubs. Founded as the Welsh Fly Fishing Association in 1952, the WSTAA organise national and international angling competitions, including two major World Fly Fishing Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth championship in Wales—The WSTAA Wales team won gold at the 2009 IFFA River International competition. The WSTAA also highlights issues that affect Welsh anglers including: game fishing conservation; threats to water quality from acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
; water pollution
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
; barrages
Barrage (tidal)
A barrage is an artificial obstruction at the mouth of a tidal watercourse.-Purpose:The common primary functions of a barrage are:* Increase the depth of a river * Maintain a separation between fresh and salt water...
; poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
; stocking
Fish stock
Fish stocks are subpopulations of a particular species of fish, for which intrinsic parameters are the only significant factors in determining population dynamics, while extrinsic factors are considered to be insignificant.-The stock concept:All species have geographic limits to their...
; and Objective One funding. The Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association is based in Waunfawr, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
.
Archery
The Welsh Archery AssociationWelsh Archery Association
The Welsh Archery Association is the national governing body for archery in Wales. It was established in 2000 by the merger of the South Wales Archery Society , the North Wales Archery Society and the Welsh Archery Federation , and by 2002 had 51 affiliated clubs and over 800 members...
(WAA) is the governing body for archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
in Wales. It was established in 2000 by the merger of the South Wales Archery Society (formed 1951), the North Wales Archery Society (formed 1953) and the Welsh Archery Federation (formed 1970s), and by 2002 had 51 affiliated clubs and over 800 members. Responsibilities of the WAA include the competition, judging and coaching of archery in Wales. The WAA also control the selection and management of representative teams competing for Wales at international events. The Welsh Archery Association is based in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
.
Athletics
Welsh AthleticsWelsh Athletics
Welsh Athletics is the national governing body for the sport of athletics in Wales.The current limited company, set up in 2007, replaced the former Athletic Association of Wales...
(WA) is the national governing body for athletics
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
Set up as a limited company
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
in 2007 to replace the former Athletic Association of Wales, Welsh Athletics has more than 70 affiliated clubs, with over 7,000 athletes taking part in WA competitions.
Welsh Athletics has been based at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium, Leckwith
Leckwith
Leckwith is a district of western Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It is home to Cardiff City F.C.'s and Cardiff Blues home ground Cardiff City Stadium, and to Fitzalan High School...
, since 2009, having been based at the Cardiff Athletics Stadium
Cardiff Athletics Stadium
The Cardiff Athletics Stadium was an athletics and football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It opened in 1989 and was demolished in 2007, replaced by the Cardiff International Sports Stadium....
until the stadium was demolished in 2007.
Badminton
Welsh Badminton CymruWelsh Badminton Cymru
Welsh Badminton Cymru is the national governing body for badminton in Wales. Formed in 1928 as The Welsh Badminton Union, in 1934 it was one of the founder members of the Badminton World Federation. WBC became a member of the European Badminton Union in 1968...
(WBC) is the governing body for badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
in Wales. Formed in 1928 as The Welsh Badminton Union, in 1934 it was one of the founder members of the Badminton World Federation. It became a member of the European Badminton Union
European Badminton Union
Badminton Europe is the governing body of badminton in Europe. It is one of the 5 continental bodies under the flag of the Badminton World Federation . It now has 51 member associations...
in 1968 (now Badminton Europe). Over 90 senior clubs are affiliated to Welsh Badminton Cymru, and its membership is nearly 4000.].
Wales competes in the European Championships
European Badminton Championships
The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe . The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition is held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe....
, World Championships
BWF World Championships
The BWF World Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation to crown the best badminton players in the world....
, Commonwealth Games
Badminton at the Commonwealth Games
Badminton debuted at the 1966 Commonwealth Games.-Location of the Commonwealth Games:The table below gives an overview of all host cities and countries of badminton at the Commonwealth Games.-Individual competition:-Medal table:-References:...
and the Thomas
Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation , the sport's global governing body...
and Uber Cup
Uber Cup
The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956-1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled...
World Team Championships. WBC organises national and international competitions, including the Welsh National Badminton Championships
Welsh National Badminton Championships
The Welsh National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Wales since 1938.However, until 1960 there was only mixed doubles competition, in 1960 the number of competitions increased to three, with men's doubles and women's doubles. One year later...
and the Welsh International Badminton Championships
Welsh International Badminton Championships
The Welsh International Badminton Championships is an international badminton championship held in Wales since 1928 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. The tournament was halted during the World War II, between 1960 and 1966, and in 1971...
, and manages the Wales representative squads internationally, at all levels.
Welsh Badminton Cymru is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens , currently known as SWALEC Stadium under a naming rights deal, is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1.6 kilometres north of Cardiff Arms Park. It was named after Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Baseball
Welsh Baseball UnionWelsh Baseball Union
The Welsh Baseball Union is the national governing body of British baseball in Wales.It is a member of the International Baseball Board. The WBU organises the men's and youth league and cup competitions, as well as selecting and managing the Wales international teams at adult and youth level.The...
(WBU), formed in 1892, is the governing body of men's British baseball
British baseball
British baseball, sometimes called Welsh baseball, or in the areas where it is popular simply baseball, is a bat-and-ball game played primarily in Wales and England. It is closely related to the game of rounders, and indeed emerged as a distinct sport when governing bodies in Wales and England...
in Wales. It is based in Heath, Cardiff
Heath, Cardiff
Heath is a community in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, originally called the Great Heath and named as a result of the large park and woodland that it once contained. It should be distinguished from the Little Heath which lies to the south of the Great Heath, in the vicinity of Crwys Road...
.
Welsh Ladies Baseball Union
Welsh Ladies Baseball Union
The Welsh Ladies Baseball Union is the governing body of women's British baseball in Wales. It was formed in 2006 when the WLBU decided to break away from the men's WBU ....
(WLBU) is the governing body of women's British baseball in Wales. It was formed in 2006 when the WLBU decided to break away from the men's WBU. The WLBU are based in Grangetown, Cardiff
Grangetown, Cardiff
Grangetown is a community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetown. The River Taff winds its way through the area...
.
Basketball
Basketball WalesBasketball Wales
Basketball Wales is the sole controller and the national governing body of all aspects of the game of basketball in Wales...
is the sole controller and the governing body of all aspects of the game of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
in Wales. It is responsible for the management of the Welsh National Basketball League, the national teams and for the organisation of all national and international basketball competitions held in Wales.
Basketball Wales is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Bowls
The Welsh Bowls FederationWelsh Bowls Federation
The Welsh Bowls Federation is an umbrella partnership body comprising representatives from the five national governing bodies: the Welsh Bowling Association; the Welsh Indoor Bowls Association; the Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association; the Welsh Short Mat Bowls Association; and the Welsh...
(WBF) (established 2001) is an umbrella partnership body comprising representatives from the five national governing bodies: the Welsh Bowling Association; the Welsh Indoor Bowls Association; the Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association; the Welsh Short Mat Bowls Association; and the Welsh Women’s Bowling Association. The Welsh Bowls Coaching Association and Welsh Bowls Umpires Association are also represented. The WBF has 670 affiliated clubs and over 25,000 members. The Welsh Bowls Federation is based at Whitland
Whitland
Whitland is a small town in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales, lying on the River Tâf. Whitland is home to the elusive "Whitland Trout" noted for its eggs and oily scales.- History :...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
.
The Welsh Bowling Association
Welsh Bowling Association
The Welsh Bowling Association is the governing body for men's outdoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 10 affiliated counties and 286 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the county championship, and select and manage the national side...
(WBA) is the governing body for men's outdoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 10 affiliated counties and 286 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the county championship, and select and manage the national side. At the 2009 Atlantic Rim Championship in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, the Welsh men's team finished third. The Welsh Bowling Association is based at Llanishen
Llanishen
Llanishen is a district in the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Llanishen is well-known as the home of the 'Tax Offices', the tallest buildings in north Cardiff and a landmark for miles around...
, Cardiff.
The Welsh Crown Green Bowling Association
Welsh Crown Green Bowling Association
The Welsh Crown Green Bowling Association , founded 1927, is the national governing body for crown green bowling in Wales. The WCGBA organise competitions, including the Welsh Club Championship, and select and manage the national side.-See also:...
(WCGBA) is the governing body for crown green bowling in Wales.
The WCGBA organise competitions, including the Welsh Club Championship, and select and manage the national side.
The Welsh Indoor Bowls Association
Welsh Indoor Bowls Association
The Welsh Indoor Bowls Association is the governing body for the indoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 24 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the WIBA Club Championship, and select and manage the national side....
(WIBA) is the governing body for the indoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 24 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the WIBA Club Championship, and select and manage the national side. The Welsh Bowling Association is based at Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association
Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association
The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association is the governing body for the indoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 25 affiliated clubs...
(WLIBA) (formed 1950) is the governing body for the indoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has 25 affiliated clubs. The WLIBA organise national competitions and select and manage the national side. The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association is based at Ton Pentre
Ton Pentre
Ton Pentre is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of Ystradyfodwg was named after the church at Ton Pentre...
, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The Welsh Short Mat Bowls Association
Welsh Short Mat Bowls Association
The Welsh Short Mat Bowls Association is the governing body for short mat bowling clubs in Wales. The WSMBA organise national competitions, including league and inter-county, and select and manage the national side....
(WSMBA) is the governing body for short mat bowling clubs in Wales. The WSMBA organise national competitions, including league and inter-county, and select and manage the national side.
The Welsh Women’s Bowling Association
Welsh Women’s Bowling Association
The Welsh Women’s Bowling Association is the governing body for women's outdoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has eight affiliated counties and 160 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the county championship, and select and manage the national side...
(WWBA) (founded in 1932 as Welsh Ladies Bowls Association) is the governing body for women's outdoor bowling clubs in Wales. It has eight affiliated counties and 160 affiliated clubs. The WBA organise competitions, including the county championship, and select and manage the national side. At the 2009 Atlantic Rim Championship in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, the Welsh women's team finished first. The Welsh Women’s Bowling Association is based at Knighton
Knighton
Knighton may mean:* Knighton, Powys a market town on the English/Welsh border**Knighton railway station serving the above town**Knighton Town F.C., its football club* Knighton, Leicestershire, a suburb of Leicester, England* In Staffordshire:...
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
.
Canoeing
Welsh Canoeing Association
Canoe Wales is the national governing body for canoeing and kayaking in Wales. It covers all branches of the sport from recreational activities to whitewater racing, slalom racing and wildwater racing; flatwater sprint racing and marathon racing; canoe sailing; canoe polo; surf kayaking and...
(formed as the Welsh Canoeing Association) is the governing body for canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
in Wales. It has over 50 affiliated clubs and a membership of 1800. Canoe Wales-Canw Cymru is responsible for the formal access agreements on the Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
, Glaslyn, Llwyd
Afon Llwyd
The Afon Lwyd is a small river in south Wales which flows from its source north of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontypool and Cwmbran before flowing into the River Usk at Caerleon, which subsequently flows into the Bristol Channel in Newport. The name is Welsh, meaning "Grey River".Historically...
, Ogwr, Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, Tawe
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
, Tryweryn
Afon Tryweryn
For the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley, see Llyn Celyn.The Tryweryn is a river in north Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after joins the river Dee at Bala. It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn...
, Twrch
Afon Twrch
The Afon Twrch is a river which rises in the Black Mountain in south Wales. It forms the boundary between the counties of Powys and Carmarthenshire and, downstream of Ystradowen, between Powys and Neath Port Talbot county borough.The headwaters arise on the southern slopes of Bannau Sir Gaer and...
, Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
and Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
and informal agreements on rivers and managed stillwaters. It is also responsible for the rights of navigation agreements on sections of the Lugg, Severn and Wye. Canoe Wales-Canw Cymru organises competition at national and international level in all the canoeing and kayaking disciplines in Wales: freestyle; slalom; wild water racing
Whitewater racing
Wildwater canoeing is a competitive discipline of canoeing in which kayaks or Canadian canoes are used to negotiate a stretch of river speedily...
; marathon racing; sprint racing
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
; surf kayaking
Surf Kayaking
Surf Kayaking is the sport, technique, and equipment, used in surfing ocean waves with kayaks. Surf kayaking has many similarities to surf board surfing, but with boats designed for use in surf zones, and with a paddle...
; and canoe polo
Canoe polo
Canoe Polo is a competitive ball sport played on water, in a defined "field", between two teams of 5 players, each in a kayak...
.
Canoe Wales-Canw Cymru manages Canolfan Tryweryn
Canolfan Tryweryn
Canolfan Tryweryn is the National White Water Centre for Wales, and is based near Bala in North Wales. It developed the first commercial white water rafting operation in the UK in 1986, and since then has grown to become the largest and most well-respected rafting organisation in the UK...
, the National Whitewater Centre near Bala, Gwynedd
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
, where Canoe Wales-Canw Cymru is based. The Afon Tryweryn
Afon Tryweryn
For the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley, see Llyn Celyn.The Tryweryn is a river in north Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after joins the river Dee at Bala. It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn...
is a dam released river, allowing water to flow when other rivers are running dry, providing a year round white water venue.
Caving
The Cambrian Caving CouncilCambrian Caving Council
The Cambrian Caving Council is the national governing body of caving in Wales. It is the national association for caving, representing the interests of caving clubs in Wales...
(CCC) (formed 1969) is the national association for caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
, representing the interests of caving clubs in Wales. It is a member of several organisations including the Brecon Beacons National Park Access & Recreation Advisory Group, the Countryside Council for Wales
Countryside Council for Wales
The Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. It is the Welsh Assembly Government's wildlife conservation authority for Wales...
, the Gower Cave Advisory Group, the Gwenlais Valley Consortium (Carmel Woods), the Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter, the Welsh Exploration Society and the Welsh Sports Association
Welsh Sports Association
The Welsh Sports Association is an independent, umbrella body, supporting and representing the national and international interests of all the national governing bodies of sport and physical recreation in Wales. It has a membership of over 60 NGBs...
. The CCC also maintains contact with several other regional and national bodies including, the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, Forestry Enterprise, various bat groups, Welsh Water
Welsh Water
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England.It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991.-History:...
and Sport Wales, as well as with the other Regional Caving Councils.
Cricket
The Cricket Board of WalesCricket Board of Wales
The Cricket Board of Wales is the national governing body of cricket in Wales. It is an umbrella partnership body comprising the Welsh Cricket Association, Glamorgan Cricket, Wales Minor Counties, the Welsh Schools Cricket Association and Sport Wales...
(CBW) is an umbrella partnership body comprising the Welsh Cricket Association, Glamorgan Cricket, Wales Minor Counties, the Welsh Schools Cricket Association and Sport Wales. It regulates the sport of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in Wales and organises competitions up to national level. The Cricket Board of Wales is based at the SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Glamorgan Cricket
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
is the Welsh first class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
, professional club. Glamorgan CCC play in the England and Wales Cricket Board
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. The club has over 7000 members. It also runs the Welsh Cricket Academy. Glamorgan Cricket is based at the SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Wales Minor Counties run the Welsh team in the Minor Counties Championship.
The Welsh Asians Cricket Club is based in Grangetown, Cardiff.
The Welsh Cricket Academy is run by Glamorgan Cricket, based at the SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
The Welsh Cricket Association
Welsh Cricket Association
The Welsh Cricket Association is the governing body of Welsh amateur cricket. It also runs the Welsh Cup and convenes the Welsh Coaching Forum. The WCA aims to promote, encourage, and improve amateur cricket in Wales, and to encourage and develop active participation in the game...
(WCA) (founded 1969) is the governing body of Welsh amateur cricket. It also runs the Welsh Cup and convenes the Welsh Coaching Forum. The WCA aims to promote, encourage, and improve amateur cricket in Wales, and to encourage and develop active participation in the game. Over 270 counties, associations, leagues and clubs are affiliated to the WCA. The Welsh Cricket Association is based at the SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
The Welsh Clubs Cricket Conference is based in Llanishen
Llanishen
Llanishen is a district in the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Llanishen is well-known as the home of the 'Tax Offices', the tallest buildings in north Cardiff and a landmark for miles around...
, Cardiff.
The Welsh Schools' Cricket Association run inter schools competitions in Wales. It is based in Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
Welsh Women's Cricket is based in Builth Wells
Builth Wells
Builth Wells is a town in the county of Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Wye and the River Irfon, in the Welsh of the Wye Valley. It has a population of 2,352....
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
.
Curling
The Welsh Curling Association (WCA) is the governing body of curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
in Wales.
Cycling
Beicio Cymru-Welsh CyclingWelsh Cycling
Welsh Cycling is "the internationally recognised" governing body of cycling in Wales. It has over eighty cycling clubs in Wales. It administers all six cycling disciplines—BMX; cyclo-cross; mountain biking ; road racing; time trials; and track racing...
is "the internationally recognised governing body of cycling in Wales". It administers all six cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
disciplines—BMX
Bicycle motocross
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
; cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
; mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
(downhill
Downhill cycling
Downhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
and cross-country
Cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling is the most common discipline of mountain biking. While less publicized than downhill cycling as it is more difficult to televise, it garners the highest levels of participation both recreationally and competitively....
); road racing
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
; time trials
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
; and track racing
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
. Beicio Cymru-Welsh Cycling is responsible for all aspects of sports cycling in Wales including competitions and racing licences and organising the Wales Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
cycling team. Beicio Cymru-Welsh Cycling is based at the Wales National Velodrome, Newport International Sports Village
Newport International Sports Village
Newport International Sports Village is an area of multiple sport facilities, located in the southeast of Newport, Wales, near the A48 Southern Distributor Road. It is known locally as Spytty Park, the name coming from the original Spytty Fields on which it is built.The village includes the Wales...
Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
.
Fencing
Welsh FencingWelsh Fencing
Welsh Fencing is the national governing body of fencing in Wales. In 2003 it had 34 affiliated clubs, with 260 adult and 559 junior members. Welsh Fencing organises competitions including the Welsh Open. Welsh Fencing are responsible for the selection and management of the Wales representative...
is the governing body of fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
in Wales. In 2003 it had 34 affiliated clubs, 260 adult and 559 junior members. Welsh Fencing organises competitions including the Welsh Open. Welsh Fencing are responsible for the selection and management of the Wales representative squad, who compete in the Winton Cup and the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. To compete at the European and World Championships Welsh fencers represent Great Britain, if selected. Welsh Fencing is based in Canton, Cardiff
Canton, Cardiff
Canton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
.
Football
The Football Association of WalesFootball Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
(FAW) is the third oldest football association in the world. It has been the governing body of football in Wales since its formation in 1876. The FAW is one of the associations that make up a body called the International Football Association Board
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football.-Operations:...
(IFAB)—the others are the other three UK associations: the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
and the Irish Football Association
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
plus FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the world governing body. The IFAB maintain the laws that govern football, known officially as the "Laws of the Game". Football is the most popular team sport in Wales, with more than twice as many participants as rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
.
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
.
The Welsh Football Trust
Welsh Football Trust
The Welsh Football Trust is recognised as a governing body of sport in Wales by Sport Wales. It was established by the Football Association of Wales to encourage more children in Wales to play football, to develop player and coaching talent and to support the future success of Welsh national...
(WFT) (founded 1996) was established by the FAW to encourage more children in Wales to play football, to develop player and coaching talent and to support the future success of Welsh national teams. In addition to the FAW, the WFT is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, the Sports Council of Wales and the Premier League. The Welsh Football Trust is based in Parc Nantgarw
Nantgarw
Nantgarw is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Cardiff.From an electoral and administrative perspective Nantgarw falls within the ward of Taffs Well, a village some 2.5 miles south, but historically fell within the boundaries of Caerphilly, which is a major town...
, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Golf
The Golf Union of WalesGolf Union of Wales
The Golf Union of Wales is the national governing body of amateur golf in Wales. It is responsible for administration and enforcement of the handicapping and course rating systems for ladies and men in Wales. The GUW organise competitions, including the National Championships in Wales, and select...
is the governing body of amateur golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
in Wales. It is responsible for administration and enforcement of the handicapping and course rating systems for ladies and men in Wales. The Golf Union of Wales organise competitions, including the National Championships in Wales, and select and manage all Welsh amateur golf teams. It also makes, maintains and publishes any necessary rules and regulations. The Golf Union of Wales is based in Catsash, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
.
Gymnastics
Welsh GymnasticsWelsh Gymnastics
Welsh Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in Wales. It has overall responsibility for the administration of all eight gymnastics disciplines in Wales – women's artistic, men's artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, general gymnastics, sports acrobatics, sports aerobics,...
(founded 1902 as the Welsh Amateur Gymnastics Association) is the national governing body for gymnastics in Wales. It has overall responsibility for the administration of all eight gymnastics disciplines in Wales—women's artistic, men's artistic
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
and rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
, general gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, sports acrobatics
Acrobatic gymnastics
Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive partner sport combining the strength, flexibility and technical precision of gymnastics with the grace and musicality of dance as well as the trust and camaraderie of a dedicated partnership...
, sports aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, trampolining
Trampolining
Trampolining is a competitive Olympic sport in which gymnasts perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. These can include simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward or backward somersaults and twists....
and tumbling
Tumbling (gymnastics)
In gymnastics, tumbling, also known as power tumbling is an acrobatic sporting discipline which combines some of the skills of artistic gymnastics on the floor with those of trampolining. It is practised on a 25 metre long spring track...
—through its four geographical areas (north, south, east and west), which are responsible for their own area competition and squad training sessions.
Welsh Gymnastics organises the Welsh national and international teams and competitions.
Welsh Gymnastics is based at the WSport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Hockey
The Welsh Hockey UnionWelsh Hockey Union
The Welsh Hockey Union is the national governing body for hockey in Wales. It was established in 1996 by the merger of the Welsh Hockey Association and the Welsh Women's Hockey Association...
(WHU) is the national governing body for hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
in Wales. It was established in 1996 by the merger of the Welsh Hockey Association (founded 1896) and the Welsh Women's Hockey Association (founded 1897). The WHU is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the game including clubs, competitions, development, internationals, schools, umpiring and universities.
WHU organised national competitions include men's and women's Welsh Cups. Internationally, Welsh players compete at the Olympic games
Field hockey at the Summer Olympics
Field hockey was introduced at the Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition at the 1908 Games in London, with six teams, including four from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
as part of the Great Britain team. In all other competitions, including the Hockey World Cup
Hockey World Cup
The Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation . The tournament was started in 1971...
and the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, Wales competes in its own right. The Wales hockey team also compete at the EuroHockey Nations Trophy
EuroHockey Nations Trophy
The EuroHockey Nations Trophy is a competition for European field hockey national teams. There exist Trophies for outdoor as well as indoor hockey and for both men and women. In every cases it is a kind of B-European Championship. Underneath the Trophies there exist at least one division of the...
(ENT). Other countries that compete at the ENT are Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Ireland
Ireland national field hockey team
Ireland national field hockey team represents Ireland at men's international field hockey. It is organised by the Irish Hockey Association. Usually the team represents the entire island of Ireland and plays under a special flag. The exception is Olympic hockey, where the team represents only the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
The Welsh Hockey Union is based in Ely, Cardiff
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
.
Ice Skating
The Welsh Ice Skating Association (WISA) is the governing body of ice skatingIce skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
for Wales. WISA organises the Welsh Championship. The Welsh Ice Skating Association is managed from, and is based in, England.
Judo
The Welsh Judo AssociationWelsh Judo Association
The Welsh Judo Association is the governing body for the sport of judo in Wales. The WJA has 80 affiliated clubs and over 2,400 members. It is responsible for managing the Welsh High Class Performance Squads, from which Craig Ewers, the National Coach, selects the Welsh national team to compete...
(WJA) is the governing body for judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
in Wales. The WJA has 80 affiliated clubs and over 2,400 members. It is responsible for managing the Welsh High Class Performance Squads, from which the National Coach—double judo Olympic silver medallist Neil Adams—selects the Welsh national team to compete at international events. The Welsh Judo Association and the Welsh Judo Association Academy are based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Lacrosse
The Welsh Lacrosse AssociationWelsh Lacrosse Association
The Welsh Lacrosse Association is the governing body for lacrosse in Wales. It is one of 14 full members of the Federation of International Lacrosse...
(WLA) is the governing body for lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
in Wales. The WLA is responsible for international competitions, including the International Festival of Lacrosse at Ebbw Vale in 1992—the first Welsh men's international Game for 85 years and the first to be played in Wales—and manages the Wales teams that play in the European and World Championships. It also manages 'Centres of Development and Excellence' for the juniors' field game.
The Welsh Lacrosse Association is based at Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
.
Motor Sports
The Welsh Association of Motor Clubs is the governing body of Motor Sports in Wales. It is a "Regional Association" of the Motor Sports Association.Netball
The Welsh Netball AssociationWelsh Netball Association
The Welsh Netball Association is the national governing body for netball in Wales. The WNA is responsible for national championships, Welsh squad selection, international matches, the training and development of players, coaches and umpires and for the Sport Wales National Centre Netball...
(founded 1945) (WNA) is the governing body for netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
in Wales. The WNA is responsible for national championships, Welsh squad
Wales national netball team
The Wales national netball team represents Wales in international netball competition.The Welsh Netball Association , the governing body for netball in Wales, is responsible for Welsh squad selection, international matches and for the training and development of players.Wales' current IFNA world...
selection, international matches, the training and development of players, coaches and umpires and for the Sport Wales National Centre Netball Academy.
International competitions in which Wales compete include the European Championships, the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and the Netball World Championships
Netball World Championships
The World Netball Championships is a quadrennial international netball world championship co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations , inaugurated in 1963. Since its inception the competition has been dominated primarily by the Australian national netball team and the New...
. Wales were European Champions in 2001. The World Youth Netball Championship was held in Cardiff in July 2000.
The Welsh Netball Association was a founder member of the International Federation of Netball Associations
International Federation of Netball Associations
International Federation of Netball Associations is the governing body for netball. The organisation has five regional areas: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Leadership meets every two years. IFNA is responsible for world rankings, maintaining the rules for netball and organising the...
(IFNA)—which governs world netball—in 1960. Netball is played in over fifty countries. Wales' current IFNA world ranking is 16th (last updated 28 May 2009). The Welsh Netball Association is based in Pontcanna
Pontcanna
Pontcanna is a western district of the city of Cardiff, Wales. Its area is bounded approximately by Llandaff Fields to the north, the Riverside district and Cowbridge Road to the south, the River Taff to the west and the district of Canton to the east.Pontcanna is a very well to do area of wide...
, Cardiff.
Orienteering
The Welsh Orienteering AssociationWelsh Orienteering Association
The Welsh Orienteering Association is the national governing body for the sport of orienteering in Wales, and is a constituent association of the British Orienteering Federation...
(WOA) is the national governing body for the sport of orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
in Wales, and is a constituent association of the British Orienteering Federation
British Orienteering Federation
The British Orienteering Federation, sometimes branded British Orienteering, is the national sports governing body for the sport of orienteering in the United Kingdom. The federation was founded in June 1967, and is a member of the IOF...
.
The WOA is responsible for encouraging, developing and controlling the sport of orienteering throughout Wales, for running the Welsh League and events, including the Welsh Championships, the Welsh Short Championships and the Welsh Orienteering festival—Croeso (Welcome)—held every four years.
The Welsh Orienteering Association has nine affiliated clubs.
Pétanque (Boule)
The Welsh Pétanque AssociationWelsh Pétanque Association
The Welsh Pétanque Association is the governing body for the sport of pétanque in Wales. The WPA is affiliated to the Confédération Européenne de Pétanque and the Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal . It aims to promote the sport's development for all people in Wales...
(WPA) (established 2004) is the governing body for the sport of pétanque
Pétanque
Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...
in Wales. The WPA is affiliated to the Confédération Européenne de Pétanque (CEP) and the Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FIPJP). It aims to promote the sport's development for all people in Wales. The Welsh Pétanque Association organises competition at national and international level, including League and National Competitions and the Welsh Cup for Clubs—the winning club qualifying for the EuroCup (European Cup for Clubs)—and is responsible for the selection of the Wales national squads, who compete in international events including the Celtic Challenge, European Championships and World Championships.
The Welsh Pétanque Association has 13 registered clubs and is based at Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Pool
The Welsh Pool Association is the governing body of pool in Wales. The association runs competitions such as the Welsh open Tour (WOT), Senior Welsh Open Tour and youth events.Rowing
The Welsh Amateur Rowing AssociationWelsh Amateur Rowing Association
Welsh Rowing is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Wales. It is responsible for promoting the sport in Wales and for the organisation of all national rowing competitions held in Wales, including the 'Head of the Taff' and the Welsh Open Rowing Championships...
(WARA) is the national governing body for rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
in Wales. It is responsible for the organisation of all national rowing competitions held in Wales, including the 'Head of the Taff' and the Welsh Open Rowing Championships, and for the selection and management of the Welsh national rowing teams and the organisation of all international rowing competitions held in Wales. It has 13 affiliated clubs, including schools and universities. The Welsh Amateur Rowing Association is based at Thornhill, Cardiff
Thornhill, Cardiff
Thornhill is a northern suburb in the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, south of Caerphilly . It is a relatively modern area with housing stock dating mainly from the late 1980s and beyond...
.
The Welsh Sea Rowing Association
Welsh Sea Rowing Association
The Welsh Sea Rowing Association is the national governing body for coastal and ocean rowing in Wales. It is a member of Welsh Rowing and is represented at Welsh Rowing at board level and on the Performance, the Development, Coaching and Education, and the Events Sub-Committees...
(WSRA) is the national governing body for coastal and ocean rowing
Coastal and ocean rowing
Coastal and offshore rowing is a type of rowing performed at sea. Due to the harsher conditions encountered, the boats are wider and more robust than those used on rivers and lakes.-International competition:...
in Wales. It is responsible for coastal rowing competitions in Wales, including the WSRA League, which has two racing categories: Celtic Longboat
Celtic Longboat
The Celtic Longboat is a rowing boat used for coastal and ocean rowing, racing, training and recreation. It has four sweep oared rowers and a cox.Racing this type of boat has a long and interesting history on the West Wales coast....
s; and Yole
Yole
A Yole is a clinker built boat that was used for fishing particularly in the north of Scotland. The best known of these is the Orkney Yole. They were rigged for sail or used as rowing boats. The Yole is of a Nordic design and closely related in shape to the Shetland Yoal and Sgoth Niseach of the...
s. It is a member of the Welsh Amateur Rowing Association-Rhwyfo Cymru (WARA) and is represented at WARA at board level and on the Performance, the Development, Coaching and Education, and the Events Sub-Committees. The Welsh Sea Rowing Association is based at Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.
Rugby League
Wales Rugby LeagueWales Rugby League
Wales Rugby League is the national governing body for rugby league football in Wales.In 1907 The Welsh Northern Rugby Football Union was formed in Wrexham, but the English Northern Rugby Football Union refused it affiliation as they wanted the body located in the south of Wales and the Welsh body...
(WRL) is the sole controller and national governing body for Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
in Wales. Its objective is to promote, encourage and develop the sport of rugby league in Wales. Having been granted "stand alone status" in Wales from the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
, WRL is responsible for the successful running of the game in Wales, for organising games and competitions and for selecting the squad for the national teams. In addition to managing professional and amateur national representative senior teams, WRL runs several age grade international sides from under 13s to a student team. The senior teams each play in annual European competitions, and the professional side compete in the World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
every 4 years.
WRL has 14 affiliated clubs, including four university clubs. Wales Rugby League is based at the Brewery Field
Brewery Field
Brewery Field is a 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales 1,100 of which is seated capacity...
, Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
.
Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
(WRU) was founded as the Welsh Rugby Football Union at the Castle Hotel, Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
on 12 March 1881, by a group of 11 clubs: Bangor
Bangor RFC
Bangor Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bangor, North Wales. Bangor RFC is a founding member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets...
; Brecon
Brecon RFC
Brecon Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club from the town of Brecon, South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.The club was one of the eleven founding members of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881...
; Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
; Lampeter
Lampeter Town RFC
Lampeter Town Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Lampeter, West Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets....
; Llandeilo
Llandeilo RFC
Llandeilo Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Llandeilo, in Carmarthenshire, west Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.-Early History:...
; Llandovery
Llandovery RFC
Llandovery RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The club is an inaugural member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Scarlets.-Early history:...
; Llanelli
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
; Merthyr
Merthyr RFC
Merthyr RFC is a Welsh rugby union club based in Merthyr in South Wales. Merthyr RFC are presently members of the Welsh Rugby Union playing in the Division One East League and are a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues..-Early history:...
; Newport; Pontypool
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
; and Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
.
The WRU is the governing body of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in Wales, with overall responsibility for organising and running the national game of Wales—rugby union—in Wales including: the rules and regulations that the domestic game of rugby is played under in Wales; player registration and transfer between clubs; player and club disciplinary sanctions; codes of conduct for players, coaches, team managers, club officials, match officials and referee advisors; and the protocol for games in Wales.
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff, "an icon of the modern Wales", is wholly owned by the WRU. In addition to rugby union—the Millennium Stadium has staged the 1999 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
and pool stages of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, the IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
in 2001, two Wales Rugby Grand Slams
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
(2005
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
and 2008
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
), the British & Irish Lions vs Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
in 2005, and the 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009 Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
finals—the stadium has hosted a range of events, including a variety of music—starting with the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
' Manic Millennium concert held on Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
Eve, through the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
, a tsunami relief concert
Tsunami Relief Cardiff
Tsunami Relief Cardiff was a charity music concert held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 22 January 2005, in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had occurred the month before...
with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
in 2005, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in 2006 and in 2008, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
in 2006 to U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
in 2009— and other sports events—the Wales national football team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
usually play their international football home matches at the stadium; English football's League Cup Final
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, LDV Vans Trophy, FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
and the FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
were played at the Stadium (from the 2000–01 to 2005–06 seasons) while Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
was being rebuilt; the British Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
The Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:...
has been held at the Stadium since 2001; three Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
finals were held at the Millennium Stadium (from the 2002–03 to 2004–05
Challenge Cup 2005
The 2005 Powergen Rugby League Challenge Cup was played by teams from across Europe during the 2005 rugby league season.-Results:* 2 April Leeds 26 - Warrington 22* 2 April Pia 53 - Keighley 26* 2 April Toulouse 60 - Wath Brow 12...
seasons); the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
, as part of Wales Rally GB, have been staged at the stadium since 2005; Express Eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
was held at the stadium in 2008: and Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
's victory over Mikkel Kessler
Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler
Joe Calzaghe versus Mikkel Kessler was a super middleweight boxing contest between the number one and two super middleweights in the World. At the time both fighters were unbeaten. On the line was the WBO, WBC and WBA World belts as well as the The Ring Magazine championship...
in the super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
reunification bout was held at the Stadium, Calzaghe retaining his WBO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
title and winning the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
and WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
world titles.
The Wales rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
has had considerable success. Wales were 3rd in the 1987 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
, have been International Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
winners 24 times outright (in 1893
1893 Home Nations Championship
The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
, 1900
1900 Home Nations Championship
The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, 1902
1902 Home Nations Championship
The 1902 Home Nations Championship was the twentieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 11 January and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, 1905
1905 Home Nations Championship
The 1905 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 14 January and 18 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, 1908
1908 Home Nations Championship
The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, 1909
1909 Home Nations Championship
The 1909 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 16 January and 20 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, 1911
1911 Five Nations Championship
The 1911 Five Nations Championship was the second series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the twenty-ninth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
, 1922
1922 Five Nations Championship
The 1922 Five Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fifth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
, 1931
1931 Five Nations Championship
The 1931 Five Nations Championship was the seventeenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the forty-fourth series of the annual northern hemisphere...
, 1936
1936 Home Nations Championship
The 1936 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-second series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
, 1950
1950 Five Nations Championship
The 1950 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-first series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-sixth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, 1952
1952 Five Nations Championship
The 1952 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1956
1956 Five Nations Championship
The 1956 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1965
1965 Five Nations Championship
The 1965 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1966
1966 Five Nations Championship
The 1966 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1969
1969 Five Nations Championship
The 1969 Five Nations Championship was the fortieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-ffith series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, 1971
1971 Five Nations Championship
The 1971 Five Nations Championship was the forty-second series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-seventh series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1975
1975 Five Nations Championship
The 1975 Five Nations Championship was the forty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, 1976
1976 Five Nations Championship
The 1976 Five Nations Championship was the forty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, 1978
1978 Five Nations Championship
The 1978 Five Nations Championship was the forty-ninth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1979
1979 Five Nations Championship
The 1979 Five Nations Championship was the fiftieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, 1994
1994 Five Nations Championship
The 1994 Five Nations Championship was the 65th series of the Five Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams. The tournament consisted of ten matches held between 15 January and 19 March 1994.The tournament was the 65th...
, 2005
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
and 2008
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
) and joint winners 11 times (1906
1906 Home Nations Championship
The 1906 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 13 January and 17 March...
, 1920
1920 Five Nations Championship
The 1920 Five Nations Championship was the sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship, and the first played since the 1914 Games due to World War I. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the...
, 1932
1932 Home Nations Championship
The 1932 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
, 1939
1939 Home Nations Championship
The 1939 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
, 1947
1947 Five Nations Championship
The 1947 Five Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 1...
, 1954
1954 Five Nations Championship
The 1954 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixtieth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 9...
, 1955
1955 Five Nations Championship
The 1955 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, 1964
1964 Five Nations Championship
The 1964 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-fifth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventieth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, 1970
1970 Five Nations Championship
The 1970 Five Nations Championship was the forty-first series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-sixth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, 1973
1973 Five Nations Championship
The 1973 Five Nations Championship was the forty-fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
and 1988
1988 Five Nations Championship
The 1988 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-ninth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over...
), of which ten have been Welsh Grand Slams
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
and 19 Triple Crowns
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
. The Wales team has had some success against southern hemisphere opposition too: Wales have beaten Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
ten times (1908, 1947, 1958
1957-58 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France
Between late 1957 and February 1958 the Australia national rugby union team - the Wallabies - conducted a world tour encompassing Britain, Ireland, France and Canada on which they played five Tests and thirty-six minor tour matches. They won 22, lost 16 and drew three...
, 1969
1969 Wales rugby union tour
The 1969 Wales rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Wales national rugby union team to Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. The tour took in four matches against regional and invitational teams and three tests; two to New Zealand and one to Australia...
, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 2005
Australia vs Wales in rugby union
Since 1908 Australia and Wales have competed against each other in rugby union. Of the 31 matches played to date, Australia have won 20, Wales 10, with 1 draw...
, and 2008
2008 end of year rugby tests
The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the...
); New Zealand three times (1905, 1935
1935-36 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles and Canada
-Matches:-Three-Quarters:* N. Ball * H.M. Brown * G.F. Hart * N.A. Mitchell * C.J. Oliver -Five-eighths:* J.L. Griffiths * T.H.C. Caughey * J.R. Page...
and 1953
1953-54 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles, France and North America
-Matches:-External links:*...
); and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
once, in 1999.
Sailing
Welsh Yachting Association (WYA) is the governing body for the sports of powerboatingPowerboating
Power boating describes activities performed in a motorized boat. Generally, a power boat has a high power-to-weight ratio and a hull design that allows for easy planing, which allows for higher speed and improved handling. Also, the shape of the actual boat is usually very streamlined, which...
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
and windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
in Wales. The WYA's organisation is divided into north
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, south
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and west
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
regions. Sailing clubs in Wales are members of the Royal Yachting Association
Royal Yachting Association
The Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for certain watersports in the United Kingdom. Activities it covers include:* Sailing* Windsurfing* Motor cruising* Sportsboats* Personal watercraft* Powerboat racing...
(RYA) and, as individuals must join the RYA to race, the WYA has no personal members. Its purpose is "... to feed the RYA GBR performance pathway, and ultimately Team GBR 2012 and beyond.". Wales contributed 10 -15% to the Great Britain Olympic Sailing Squads in 2008. The Welsh Yachting Association is based at the National Watersports Centre for Wales, Plas Menai
Plas Menai
Plas Menai is the National Watersports Centre for Wales. It is situated on the mainland side of the Menai Strait, and is approximately 3 miles East of Caernarfon, North Wales.-History:...
, Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. with regional offices in Cardiff Bay Yacht Club and Pembrokeshire Activity Centre
Shooting
The Welsh Target Shooting FederationWelsh Target Shooting Federation
The Welsh Target Shooting Federation is the governing body for shooting sports in Wales. It represents the member bodies of the WTSF—the Welsh Airgun Association , the Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association , the Welsh Rifle Association and the Welsh Small-bore Rifle Association —by...
(WTSF) is the governing body for shooting sports
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
in Wales. It represents the member bodies of the WTSF—the Welsh Airgun Association (WAA), the Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association (WCTSA), the Welsh Rifle Association (WRA) and the Welsh Small-bore Rifle Association (WSRA)—by promoting and developing shooting sports in Wales. The Welsh Target Shooting Federation is based in Cardiff.
The Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association (WCTSA) is the governing body for clay target shooting
Clay pigeon shooting
Clay pigeon shooting, also known as clay target shooting, and formally known as Inanimate Bird Shooting, is the art of shooting at special flying targets, known as clay pigeons or clay targets, with a shotgun or any type of firearm....
(also known as clay pigeon shooting) in Wales. It represents its members' interests at a national and international level. The WCTSA has 65 affiliated clubs. It is responsible for score registration and classification, organising national competitions and the selection and running of the national representative teams. The Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association is based in Caersws
Caersws
Caersws is a village and community sitting on the River Severn, at miles west of Newtown, Powys, and halfway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.- History & Amenities :...
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
.
Skiing
Snowsport Cymru/WalesSnowsport Cymru/Wales
Snowsport Cymru/Wales is the national governing body of skiing and snowboarding in Wales. Its membership comprises individuals, schools, corporate sponsors and six affiliated clubs. Snowsport Cymru/Wales selects, organises and trains the Wales National Ski Squad.Snowsport Cymru/Wales manages the...
is the governing body of skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
in Wales. Snowsport Cymru/Wales' membership comprises individuals, schools, corporate sponsors and six affiliated clubs. Snowsport Cymru/Wales selects, organises and trains the Welsh National Ski Squad. Snowsport Cymru/Wales manages the Cardiff Ski & Snowboard Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff
Fairwater, Cardiff
Fairwater is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is located a few miles from Culverhouse Cross which connects Cardiff to the M4 motorway.- History :The name Tyllgoed, meaning "dark wood" goes back to the 15th century...
, where it is based.
Snooker
The Welsh Billiards & Snooker Association is the governing body of the cue sports billiards and snookerSnooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
in Wales. The Welsh Billiards & Snooker Association is based in Winch Wen
Winch Wen
Winch Wen is a suburban district in the Bon-y-maen ward of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It lies some 3.5 miles north-east of Swansea city centre....
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Squash
Squash WalesSquash Wales
Squash Wales is the national governing body of squash in Wales. It has 121 affiliated clubs and is a member of the World Squash Federation and the European Squash Federation...
is the governing body of squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
in Wales. It has 121 affiliated clubs and is a member of the World Squash Federation
World Squash Federation
The World Squash Federation is the international federation for squash, an indoor racquet sport which was formerly called "Squash rackets."It is based in Hastings in England. As of 2009 it has 147 member federations...
and the European Squash Federation. Squash Wales is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the game including clubs, regional and national leagues, player development and the selection and management of the international squad for competitions, including the European Team Championships and the World Championships. Recent success for the Wales team includes the Bronze medal won in the European Team Championships in Malmo
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
(May 2009), which was the 14th European Team medal won by Wales in all ages since 1997. The Wales team won a world Silver medal in 1999. National competitions organised by Squash Wales include the Welsh Inter-County Challenge Shield and the Welsh Open. Squash Wales is based at the Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff.
Sub Aqua
The Welsh Association of Sub Aqua ClubsWelsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs
The Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs is the national governing body of sub aquatic, or underwater sports, in Wales, comprising scuba diving, underwater hockey and snorkelling....
(WASAC) is the governing body of sub aquatic, or underwater sports
Underwater sports
Underwater sports include a range of sports, mostly involving the use of swimfins and often including some element of breath-hold, snorkelling or scuba...
, in Wales, comprising scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, underwater hockey
Underwater hockey
Underwater hockey is a global non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals.-Play:...
and snorkelling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
. Although WASAC is responsible for underwater hockey (also known as Octopush), training and management of Wales national squads is controlled by Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales. The Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs is based at Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is a village in Neath Port Talbot, south Wales. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is also a parish made up of the electoral wards of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman.-Location:...
, Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
.
Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales
Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales
Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales is responsible for underwater hockey in Wales. It is the association of British Octopush Association clubs in Wales. It has seven member clubs...
(HTC/UHW) is the association of British Octopush Association (BOA) clubs in Wales. It is working towards affiliation to WASAC to establish a structured and stable Underwater Hockey organization in Wales, supporting individual, club and regional development. HTC/UHW has seven member clubs. Its objective is to create and maintain competitive Welsh Underwater Hockey Squads in all categories to compete in Regional Competitions and the BOA Home International Tournaments.
Surfing
The Welsh Surfing FederationWelsh Surfing Federation
The Welsh Surfing Federation is the national governing body of surfing in Wales, affiliated to the European Surfing Federation. It is responsible for promoting the sport by organising National Championships, participating in events to raise public awareness and for selecting teams to represent...
(WSF) is the national governing body of surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
in Wales, affiliated to the European Surfing Federation. It is responsible for promoting the sport by organising National Championships, participating in other events to raise public awareness and for selecting teams to represent Wales at an international level. The Welsh Surfing Federation is based at the Welsh Surfing Federation Surf School in Llangennith
Llangennith
Llangennith is a village in Gower, in the City and County of Swansea, south Wales. It sits at a crossroads in northwest Gower: Moor Lane leads westwards to a caravan park near Rhossili Bay; while Burrows Lane leads northwards to a caravan park overlooking Broughton Bay. The village has a...
, Gower
Gower Peninsula
Gower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower"...
, which it owns.
Surf lifesaving
The Surf Life Saving Association of WalesSurf Life Saving Association of Wales
The Surf Life Saving Association of Wales is the national governing body of surf lifesaving in Wales. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit, registered charity organisation. Its goal is "to prevent the loss of life through drowning"...
(SLSAW) (formed 1969) is the governing body of surf lifesaving in Wales. Its goal is "to prevent the loss of life through drowning". The SLSAW organise regional and national competitions—such as the SLSA Wales Stillwater Leagues and the SLSA Wales Ocean Masters Championships—and select and manage the Wales squad for international events, including the Celtic Challenge Cup. It has 26 affiliated voluntary lifeguard clubs and over 1500 members (adult and junior). The Surf Life Saving Association of Wales is based in Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a small coastal town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. A small stream, the Afon Col-huw, runs through the town.-Local government:...
, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
.
Swimming
Swim WalesSwim Wales
Swim Wales is the national governing body of diving, swimming and water polo, in Wales...
(WASA) (founded 1897 as the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association) is the governing body of diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
(including open water
Open water swimming
Open water swimming takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, canals, and reservoirs.The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam several miles to cross the Hellespont from Europe to Asia.In...
and synchronised swimming) and water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, in Wales. It is responsible for establishing the laws of the sport, for organising certification and education programmes for coaches, officials and teachers and for recreational swimming, aiming to ensure that everybody in Wales has the opportunity to learn to swim.
Swim Wales is structured regionally—with over 90 member clubs and a combined membership of over 9,800 members in the South East Wales, West Wales and North Wales regions—supporting their affiliated swimming, diving, water polo, masters and disabled clubs. It manages the development of competitive swimming sports from starter to international level, and organises competitions, including closed, national and open championships. Swim Wales is based at the Wales National Pool
Wales National Pool
The Wales National Pool in the Sketty area of Swansea, Wales, is a 50 metre swimming pool built to FINA standards. The facility, which also has a 25m x 9.5m training pool and 1,200 spectator seats, is used to train Wales' world class aquatic sports athletes and houses the headquarters of the...
, Sketty
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....
, Swansea.
Table Tennis
The Table Tennis Association of WalesTable Tennis Association of Wales
The Table Tennis Association of Wales is the national governing body of table tennis in Wales. It is affiliated to the International Table Tennis Federation and the European Table Tennis Union, and was a founding member of both organisations—in 1926 and 1956 respectively.The TTAW has...
(TTAW) (founded 1921) is the governing body of table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
in Wales. It is affiliated to the International Table Tennis Federation
International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.-Founding history:The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales...
(ITTF) and the European Table Tennis Union
European Table Tennis Union
The European Table Tennis Union is the highest authoritative body of regulation and organization of table tennis in Europe regarded by International Table Tennis Federation. It was founded in 1957, and currently has 56 member associations...
, and was a founding member of both organisations, in 1926 and 1956 respectively. The TTAW has over 1000 members, regulates and manages competitions—including ten leagues, the Welsh Open Championships, the Welsh Closed Championships and the Team Championship of Wales— and is responsible for the selection, organisation and management of the Welsh national representative teams. The Wales men's team was ranked 43 in the world (of 132 ranked country associations) by the ITTF, as at 2 July 2009. The Table Tennis Association of Wales is based in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
.
Tennis
Tennis WalesTennis Wales
Tennis Wales is the national governing body for tennis in Wales. It is part of the British tennis governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association.Tennis Wales has 98 affiliated clubs, who have just under 12,000 members between them...
is the national governing body for tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
in Wales. It is part of the British tennis governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association
Lawn Tennis Association
The Lawn Tennis Association is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.As the governing body, the LTA is responsible for the coaching and development of junior players, offering courses and qualifications on coaching, as well as the...
. Tennis Wales has 98 affiliated clubs, who have just under 12,000 members between them. Tennis Wales organises junior, open and veterans' tournaments, including local and regional leagues—North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
and South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
—and county teams. Tennis Wales is based at The Welsh National Tennis Centre, East Moors, Cardiff, and has a regional office in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
.
Tenpin Bowling
The Tenpin Bowling Association of WalesTenpin Bowling Association of Wales
The Tenpin Bowling Association of Wales is the national governing body for tenpin bowling in Wales. It is a member of the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs and the European Tenpin Bowling Federation – the "European Zone" of the World Tenpin Bowling Association.The TBAW organises...
(TBAW) is the national governing body for tenpin bowling in Wales. It is a member of the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs
Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs
The Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs is the world governing body of nine-pin and ten-pin bowling...
(International Bowling Federation) and the European Tenpin Bowling Federation
European Tenpin Bowling Federation
The European Tenpin Bowling Federation is a very influentially prominent Ten-pin bowling organisation that hosts the worldwide prestigious European Bowling Tour , similar to that of the tour held by the Professional Bowlers Association ....
—the "European Zone" of the World Tenpin Bowling Association
World Tenpin Bowling Association
The World Tenpin Bowling Association of the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs is a Ten-pin bowling organisation which independently formulates its own policies, which may not conflict with FIQ Statutes...
. The TBAW organises leagues and tournaments, including qualifying competitions from which the top male and female players are invited to represent Wales in international competitions. The Tenpin Bowling Association of Wales is based in Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
.
Triathlon
Welsh TriathlonWelsh Triathlon
Welsh Triathlon is the national governing body and membership association for triathlon, duathlon and other multisports in Wales. It is a member of the British Triathlon Federation, the other members being Triathlon England and Triathlon Scotland....
is the governing body for triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
in Wales. It aims to promote and develop the sports of triathlon and duathlon
Duathlon
Duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format bearing some resemblance to triathlons. The International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally....
in Wales, and to encourage participation in them. Welsh Triathlon is developing a club structure for triathlon and duathlon and is responsible for the Wales representative squad in international competition. It has 24 affiliated clubs.
Volleyball
Sport Wales recognise the Welsh Volleyball Association as the governing body for volleyballVolleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
in Wales. However, "With there being no current active Welsh Volleyball Association, all volleyball within Welsh boundaries comes under Volleyball England’s jurisdiction." Volleyball England aim to have Welsh representation at the 2009 UK School Games
UK School Games
The UK School Games was an annual sporting competition for elite school-age athletes in the United Kingdom held between 2006 and 2011.The event was based on an Olympic Games model, with multiple sports events held across an intensive four-day period...
, due to be held in Wales the first time – in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.