Oral - Sharing the successes of the Olympics

I am sure that everyone here will want to join me in congratulating the Welsh athletes for their remarkable achievements at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Wales had 14 athletes competing at the Olympics Games and 38 at the Paralympic Games. This shows that, as a small nation, we can punch well above our weight in terms of our population size. It is worth noting the following figures; one in six athletes at the Paralympic Games came from Wales and athletes from Wales won one in every five of the gold medals that came to Britain. Our athletes achieved a total of 27 medals across the various events, and it was a pleasure and an honour for me to be part of the enthusiastic celebrations on the steps of the Senedd to welcome the two teams back to Wales. We must not forget to thank those who supported the athletes, including the families and coaches who have ensured that they have been able to focus on their performances.

The governing bodies of sport in Wales have played a key factor in enabling these athletes to achieve their full potential. The Sports Council for Wales has also played a vital role, especially in terms of the funding of nearly £10 million that it provides every year. This funding supports not only the core work of the governing bodies but also the process of identifying talent at a young age, coaching, access to facilities and access to specialist sport science and sport medicine support, which is essential for athletes.

Currently, 85 athletes from Wales are members of the world class performance pathway, which includes Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Sports Council for Wales operates an elite programme for all other sports, and there are currently 37 athletes who are taking part in that scheme. Another 94 athletes are part of the talent support programme, which supports our promising athletes.

It is clear to me that we need to push on and build on the successes that have been achieved over the last five weeks. I am therefore commissioning a review of performance and excellence in Wales, which will focus on what we can do to allow our athletes to continue to succeed on the national and international sporting stage. The review will: consider the extent to which the current structures in Wales for delivering performance and excellence can be improved; identify the successes achieved and the challenges faced by governing bodies in Wales; and asses the existing strategic priorities and key delivery targets. I will liaise with the Sports Council for Wales and build on its expertise in taking this review forward.

I know that Members will share in my hope that success on the Olympic and Paralympic stage will inspire our children and young people to participate in sporting opportunities. However, in Wales, as in many other countries, there continues to be a high percentage of the population that does not participate in sporting or physical activity. The recent Audit Committee report on physical activity showed the huge challenges that we face in reversing that trend, but we must face those now to ensure that Wales is a fit and active nation. In my response to the Audit Committee’s report, I have set out the structures that will be put in place to enable us to work across Government departments and with our partners to deliver on this important matter.

Supporting people to be active is not only about sports, and it cannot be delivered by one Government department. That is why I have asked the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, with the agreement of the Minister for Health and Social Services, to co-ordinate the work of all relevant Government departments and to report directly to me. We will also need to work closely with our key partners to ensure that the structures are in place to make it easier for people to lead active lifestyles, whether that is through facilities, developing more walking and cycling pathways, or more woodland and coastal walks. It will also be for individuals to take simple steps and make changes in their everyday behaviour to increase their physical activity levels, which will improve their health and wellbeing.

Change in people’s behaviour cannot be achieved through one magical scheme or intervention. We need a range of approaches to meet the needs of particular groups within our communities and the chief medical officer will bring those strands together to produce a strategic action plan. I expect this action plan to be focused on clear outcomes, and activity to be co-ordinated and targeted. I have asked the chief medical officer to present this plan to me by March 2009.

With these games just finished, we start looking forward to London 2012 and the contribution from, and the opportunities for, Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government has been focusing on the support that Wales can offer and the benefits it can take advantage of in relation to the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012. The Wales National Pool at Swansea and the Wales National Velodrome at Newport played a big part in the success of our athletes in Beijing. Sailors trained at Plas Menai on the Menai Straits and used Pwllheli Sailing Club to hone their skills in competitions. Those facilities, along with a further 29 facilities in Wales, have been included in the official London 2012 training camps guide, with 16 facilities in Wales in the Paralympics guide.

Last week, the First Minister signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Paralympic Committee, which means that athletes from Australia will visit Wales regularly between now and 2012 to train and take part in relevant competitions.
However, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are about much more than sport. The cultural Olympiad will encompass all parts of the UK, and I am delighted that we have received £1.6 million to develop activities that will involve hundreds of thousands of children and young people in Wales.

The purpose of my statement today is to highlight our successes, as well as setting out the challenges ahead, while ensuring that we continue to seek out the best for our potential athletes and support those who need our help to improve their physical activity levels.

I have fond memories of the events to welcome the athletes home from Beijing, and of the appreciation shown by the crowds outside the Senedd for our returning Olympians and Paralympians. I look forward to even better homecoming celebrations in four years’ time.