Tory Senedd member credits Team GB for Welsh success at the Olympics
A Tory Senedd member has credited Team GB for the success of Welsh athletes at the Olympic games.
Tom Giffard, the Shadow Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, suggested the likes Lauren Price who won gold in boxing at the Tokyo games, or Hannah Mills’ who did so in sailing, are “thriving” because they “compete as Team GB”.
The MS for South Wales West also hit out at what he called “separatists” who believe that Wales should compete as an independent nation.
Jim Parc Nest, the former Archdruid has argued that athletes from Wales to sing the Welsh anthem and to fly the Red Dragon when they win Olympic gold. But he does not think it will happen until Wales gains independence.
Under the current system, when Welsh athletes win Olympic gold, God Save the Queen, which is also the national anthem for England, is played, and the Union Jack is flown at the medal ceremony.
In an article for the conservative-leaning Gwydir website, Tom Giffard said: “Now, the last thing I want to do is a be a typical politician and make a political point out of all of this, but I think there’s a valid one to be made here.
“The truth is that there has just been far too much Welsh sporting success on the international stage for it to be purely coincidental.
“Those of us that seem desperate at the moment to rip our country apart with their calls for ‘independence’ fail to consider the sporting ramifications for these successes.
“Our athletes are thriving at the Olympic Games, because they compete as ‘Team GB’ and not in spite of it.”
‘Invested’
He added: “Since those games in 1996, £1.2bn has been invested in the pursuit of Olympic success for Team GB since the introduction of lottery funding over 24 years ago.
“The UK Government’s recent announcement that £232 million will be invested to back aspiring Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes.
“£77.4 million a year to UK Sport which is an increase from the £54 million a year baseline government funding UK Sport received for Tokyo 2020 – a rise of 44 percent. The ‘Union bonus’ for sport is clear.
“Welsh sport has benefitted from unprecedented levels of funding from UK sport which allows prospective athletes to focus solely on their sporting discipline, many of whom would not have been at the Games this summer without it.
“The National Lottery alone invested around £21million to support Welsh sport in 2021/22, with £9.9 million of that supporting elite sport.
“Some of these separatists pine for a Wales that doesn’t exist. We’re proud to be Welsh, and we’re proud to be British, and that’s no contradiction!
“And so we should continue to compete as Team GB, because the alternative arguments, whether they be financial, sporting or indeed cultural just don’t stack up.”
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Why isn’t Wales allowed to congratulate its stars? I bet if it were an English athlete he would be cheering them from the rooftops. WHY is this man allowed to represent Wales? He obviously has no pride in our Country. Roll on independence for Wales too!
Exactly he says the arguments don’t stack up simply it doesn’t fit his narrow worldview for Wales to have more sporting representation
“Seperatists pine for a Wales that doesn’t exist”. That’s the whole point, quisling!
I agree. The man’s clown. He says Britain, means England. Doesn’t his party sing the English anthem Jerusalem at party conferences. Says everything about these “Welsh” Tory traitors.
And yet in the Commonwealth Games, the nations of the Disunited Kingdumb compete in their own right as Cymru, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What is your point, caller?
I expect Giffard is right as regards the Olympics and Paralympics.Ithas nothing to do with independence,Wales could spend the same pro rata.if it was our choice,I would prefer a Welsh government to concentrate on wider access on sport for everyone as opposed to elite sport.
Giffard? Another lickspittal?
Sorry mate, this Wales ‘we pine for’ does exist. It may not do as well as a GB team but it will be our team, our nation we spur on and crucially it will be our flag and our anthem used when the medal is given.
He’s overtly obnoxious. A Tory trait honed in the bowels of hell.
“…… a Wales that doesn’t exist.” What a silly thing to say!
The National Lottery has money to invest in sport because people in Wales also play the lottery. Last time I read about lottery participation the article clearly showed that there is a higher spend on lottery tickets per head of population in Wales in than in England. Does that mean Wales is subsidising England’s spend of good causes?
Exactly. We pay into the pot also. No doubt Unionists will say. “And using English money too.” And I’d reply.. ‘That’s the only truth you will ever utter. Yes, indeed we are forced to pay for our Lottery using a foreign currency.’
Technical point: “God Save the Queen” is the national anthem of the UK. England doesn’t have an anthem, but English sports teams use it.
Please correct your article. Accuracy matters.
Technically neither the UK or England have an official national anthem. God save the Queen is the Royal anthem. The point is why should we sing a song that’s sung against us in Rugby and Football. Or be part of a team where our achievements aren’t respected and acknowledged other than to be used as a tool to attack our language, culture and identity. Personally, I was a Federalist until this Far right, Celtic bashing UK, English only, Government came into power. They’re nothing but, a bunch of Fascists/Nazis barely led by a Buffoon who thinks he’s something he’s not.… Read more »
Actually, the Welsh, Scottish and Irish never had a vote on the matter. It was a Tory Government who ruled for 70yrs until their monopoly was broken with the founding of the Labour party in 1900 who decided this numbing song was the “UK’s” anthem.
Personally, I’d rather die than sing that Monarchy motivated ethnic cleansing politically charged Unionist dirge.
Anyway, why would the Scots embrace an anthem that celebrated their murder by an English army?
See original lyrics redacted by Unionists.
“And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.”
What a load of Tory bull. The same athletes win gold competing as Wales in the Commonwealth games, so his Tory tub-thumping tosh doesn’t hold water, tepid as it is.
You find with little Englanders like Tory MS Tom Giffard, that they wrap themselves in a Union Flag that doesn’t even represent Wales and make outlandish claims that can be demolished brick by brick .