Sport and identity in Wales are usually reduced to the binary of two balls – one round, one oval. In the aftermath of Welsh football’s joyous qualification for the World Cup and in the preamble to the frankly terrifying prospect of a South African test series for a Welsh rugby team that couldn’t even beat Italy, the identity debate has even more bite than usual.
But in seeking that sense of pride, nationhood and cultural comfort that comes with vicarious sporting identification, let’s not forget the other Welsh team. This week saw the announcement of the bulk of the Welsh Commonwealth Games athletes who will fly the flag with as much fervour as Gareth Bale and Alun Wyn as they compete in Birmingham this summer.
Selection of 106 competitors across 11 sports, including swimming, athletics, cycling, triathlon, boxing, judo, wrestling, squash and lawn bowels was confirmed bringing Team Wales tally up to 126. They join the 23 athletes announced earlier this year for table tennis, para table tennis, para swimming, para lawn bowls, weightlifting and paratriathlon. And when the remaining selections for rugby, hockey, netball and gymnastics are made in the coming weeks, Team Wales will have a total of 199 athletes competing across 15 sports – with the number of women just pipping the men, 100 to 99. You can get more sports news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
