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Welsh Athletics Welcomes the Senedd Committee Report into Impact of Funding Reductions for Culture and Sport
09/01/2025 00:00, In Blog /
Welsh Athletics welcomes the publication of the Senedd Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee report into the impact of funding reductions for culture and sport.
The report highlights the impact of long term funding cuts on the sport and culture sector in Wales and advocates for additional long term investment in sport and physical activity in Wales.
Welsh Athletics submitted evidence to the committee highlighting the impact that funding cuts have had on the sport, citing all areas from participation to performance.
James Williams, Welsh Athletics CEO commented:
As the leading sport for participation across Wales, the potential positive impact that increased investment could have would be significant. Partnerships with the likes of parkrun and The Daily Mile has already seen a huge number of individuals across Wales beginning their physical activity journey with 49% of primary schools in Wales actively engaged with The Daily Mile.
Our clubs and running groups continue to support athletes of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to thrive in the sport and achieve their own personal ambitions. Our clubs are core to developing future stars, this is shown through the progress of Welsh athletes like Jeremiah Azu and Sabrina Fortune – two medallists from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The impact of increased capital investment from Welsh Government to Sport Wales in recent years has led to the safeguarding of a number of athletics facilities across Wales, enabling many thousands to use the facilities for all aspects of the pathway from physical literacy classes through our Starting Blocs programmes, to school districts competitions and in supporting our aspiring elite athletes to achieve their ambitions.
The potential impact of sport and physical activity as a preventative health tool cannot be underestimated – and we welcome any opportunity to work across government departments to achieve this ambition.