UK Minister responsible for the Commonwealth is in Wales today (13
February) to meet Welsh athletes ahead of this year’s Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Summit.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, will visit Cardiff to meet young people from the charity Children in Wales, including some representing Wales at the Commonwealth Summit, as well as people from Commonwealth diaspora groups.
He will also visit the home of elite sport in Wales where he will go behind the scenes to see how Team Wales athletes are training to deliver medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in April. The Minister will be hosted by Brian Davies OBE, Director of Elite Performance at Sport Wales, on a tour of the National Sports Centre in Sophia Gardens, and meet the athletes, sports science and medical staff looking to propel Team Wales to podium positions.
The UK is set to host the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April with leaders travelling in from around the globe to take part in a week-long programme of activities focusing on the Summit’s theme ‘Towards a Common Future’.
Lord Ahmad said:
_”The Commonwealth is a unique family of nations. Its members account for two and a half billion people. __The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April will focus on young people as we strive to meet the aspirations of the one billion people in Commonwealth countries under the age of 25._
_”From Cardiff to Canberra, from Bangor to Bangalore, if the future relevance of the Commonwealth is to be assured, it is vital that young people are involved in shaping decisions that affect their future, and that includes the young people of Wales._
_”I am incredibly hopeful for the future of our Commonwealth and the role Wales has to play in it.”_
Lord Ahmad will also meet the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport Dafydd Elis-Thomas to discuss how the Welsh Government will play a key role in plans for the Commonwealth Summit.
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