Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has wished good luck to all Welsh athletes ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Ms Wood will be on hand to cheer the men and women representing Wales at the Games’ opening ceremony which she will attend as a guest of Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond.
The Party of Wales AM recently visited the facilities of Welsh Gymnastics at Sophia Gardens where she met with the organisation’s Chief Executive Rhian Gibson to hear of their plans for the future in terms of promoting the sport and meeting demand.
Ms Wood also saw elite gymnasts in action being put through their paces by Women’s National Development Coach and former international gymnast Olivia Bryl. Some of the gymnasts are under ten-years-of-age and are being trained with a view to competing at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018.
Ms Wood said: “I was very impressed by the professionalism on display from everyone involved in Welsh Gymnastics. The young gymnasts I saw practising shows that there is a bright future ahead for the sport in Wales. Their dedication and skill was breath taking.
“This bodes well for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games and I’m looking forward to going to Glasgow to see our elite athletes in action. I wish them the very best of luck and hope that they can make this a record-breaking games for our country.”
She added: “During my visit to Welsh Gymnastics I was encouraged to hear of the growing demand at the grassroots of the sport.
“Gymnastics is great for developing strength, speed, flexibility and agility. These are qualities that are in demand in almost every sport so it can provide a good foundation for excelling in other sports too.
“Sports participation is something that must be promoted if the high levels of childhood obesity are to be tackled. Welsh Gymnastics is doing such a good job of trying to meet the incredible demand for this sport.”
