Wales Commonwealth Games hopeful Joe Cemlyn-Jones has been selected to represent Great Britain at the FIG World Challenge Cup series event in Varna, Bulgaria, next week. The Bristol-born men’s artistic gymnast, 21, who also represents Wales thanks to his Welsh grandfather, will be back in action at the event which takes place between 27-30 May.

Chaz Davies made a promising start to the new World Superbikes season with his new team in Spain on Friday. The Knighton-born rider clocked the second fastest time of the day – and was also quickest in the afternoon session on an Aragon track where he has enjoyed huge success in the past.

Defenceman Brendan Mikkelson has become the Cardiff Devils first signing ahead of the 2021/2022 season. Mikkelson becomes the first player to join the Devils since the team appointed head coach Jarrod Skalde. Mikkelson, 33, arrives having previously played 131 games in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames and Tampa Lightning after being drafted […]

Andre Ayew says winning promotion to the Premier League at Swansea City would match his Champions League and World Cup exploits. Ayew was part of the Swansea side relegated from the top flight in 2018 and spent a year on loan at Turkish club Fenerbahce before returning to south Wales and becoming the talisman under Steve Cooper. He has scored 17 goals as the club have reached the Sky Bet Championship play-offs for the second successive season, with Cooper’s side holding a slender 1-0 semi-final advantage over Barnsley going into Saturday’s home leg.

Hadleigh Parkes’ first season in Japan has seen him win the Six Nations bragging rights with team-mate George Kruis and move to within one game of a first Top League title. Now, only the ‘Golden One’ – his former Hurricanes colleague Beauden Barrett – stands between the ex-Wales centre and more silverware in the Far East. Parkes, now 33, won 29 caps for Wales but left the Scarlets and Welsh rugby last summer for a move to Japan with Panasonic Wild Knights where he plays alongside England’s Kruis.

Welsh Netball have appointed former England international Hellen Manufor as their first equality, diversity and inclusion director. Manufor – who played for England during the 1990s – moves to the governing body from her most recent role as brand manager for the kit and equipment supplier, Gilbert Netball. Her brief will be to make the sport more inclusive and diverse across Wales.

Swansea City will welcome supporters back to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday evening with a reminder from Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling that fans must never again be taken for granted. After 14 months away, the club’s followers will be back in the ground – in limited numbers of 3,000 – for their home second leg Championship play-off tie against Barnsley. It will be the first time fans in Wales have attended a match of a club in the top two divisions, following the 900 supporters who were at Newport County’s League Two play-off tie against Forest Green Rovers on Monday night.

Steve Cooper has insisted he will not be distracted by links with Crystal Palace as he attempts to guide Swansea City to a Wembley play-off final. The Swansea head coach has been heavily tipped to take over at Palace this summer following conformation that Roy Hodgson in standing down this weekend after the Premier League club’s final match of the season. Some bookmakers have made Cooper favourite to replace Hodgson, but Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe and Valerian Ismael – boss of Swansea’s play-off semi-final opponents, Barnsley – have also been been tipped to move in at Selhurst Park.

It’s cup final week for two Welsh rugby players at different ends of their career spectrum and in two different hemispheres. On Friday night, the former Wales U18 and U20 captain Tommy Reffell hopes to help Leicester Tigers win the European Challenge Cup at Twickenham, while two days later the 2019 Grand Slam centre Hadleigh Parkes will aim to become the first Welsh player to win the Top League title in Japan. The 22-year-old Reffell has featured in three of the Tigers games in Europe this season and was a starter in the back row last weekend in the Premiership when they overcame Harlequins at Welford Road.

Wales Golf championships are back with a bang this weekend with the Welsh Ladies Amateur Championship as the first major event for more than 18 months. With the Coronavirus pandemic having seen almost all the 2020 championships wiped out, meaning for the first time outside war years there were no Welsh ladies or men’s amateur champions, the easing of lockdown sees their return this summer.

He’s won every rally championship title that he has contested since 2015, and now Jason Pritchard is targeting yet another major trophy – an incredible sixth in a row – as he prepares for the delayed start to the 2021 rally season.

James Collins has vowed to deliver hard work and goals after the Republic of Ireland striker linked up with his former international manager Mick McCarthy at Cardiff City for next season. The 30-year-old forward has made the switch from fellow Championship side Luton Town on a free transfer and has signed a two-year deal with the Bluebirds. It’s a move that some Cardiff fans will view at face value as the acquiring of a back-up to main striker Kieffer Moore – but others will consider with alarm as the prelude to the sale of the Wales striker later this summer.

Matt Richards is dreaming of challenging for something shiny at the Olympics in Tokyo after bagging his second medal in the pool in Hungary. The 18-year-old Welsh freestyle record holder at 100m & 200m followed up his silver in the men’s 4x100m free relay with another in the 4x200m free at the European Championships.

Two talented aerobic gymnasts from Aberdare will be flying for flag for Wales this weekend as they begin their quest to earn selection for this year’s European Championships. Mia Bernardo, 18, and Emily James, 17, both head down the M4 to Reading to compete as part of a quintet in the first of two trials for Great Britain selection for this year’s Aerobic Europeans – being staged in Pesaro, Italy, in September.

Cardiff Blues have become embroiled in a row over their ambition to retain a strong link with Welsh Premiership side, Cardiff RFC. The Blues are turning back the clock this summer by ditching their appendage and re-branding themselves as simply, Cardiff Rugby. In a further attempt to emphasise their historical roots, they also plan to refer to the current club side as the “Rags” – indicating they want to run them as their official reserve side.

Andre Ayew has now played 139 matches for Swansea City and scored 47 goals, the latest being a vital one that tipped the play-off semi-final against Barnsley in his club’s favour. His talent does not come cheap, but it’s as much about his influence and resourcefulness that impresses Fraser Watson. With 39 minutes on the clock, Kyle Naughton’s threaded pass found Andre Ayew on the right edge of the penalty area. From there, Swansea fans knew what was coming. Barnsley defenders Mads Andersen and Michal Helik knew it, too.

Michael Flynn admitted there was anger and frustration coursing through his veins – as well as a good deal of pride – after Newport County took control of their promotion play-off semi-final. Lewis Collins won the battle of the brothers as a decisive and determined County put themselves into a commanding position with a 2-0 victory over Forest Green Rovers in the first leg of their League Two play-off tie. Collins made a composed finish to put Newport 2-0 ahead in the second-half, just seconds after elder brother Aaron had missed a major opportunity to equalise for Forest Green.

Cardiff sprinters Sam Gordon and Jeremiah Azu are joined by distance runner Beth Kidger in the Great Britain team for the European Athletics Team Championships Super League later this month. The three Welsh athletes will travel to Silesia in Poland to take on France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine and the host nation in the two day fixture on May 29-30.

Cricket will be sharing centre stage when Welsh Fire start their campaign in The Hundred this summer. Music be sharing the stage at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff as the new competition looks to broaden its appeal far beyond traditional cricket-watchers. After more than a year of cancelled festivals and concerts, musical artists from Cardiff and Swansea will return to performing this summer as live music and top-quality sporting entertainment combine in the Welsh capital.

Ospreys hooker Scott Otten has retired from professional rugby on medical advice. The 26-year-old Swansea-born forward – who has been with the Ospreys for a decade – suffered a serious neck injury against the Dragons in January. “For me, retirement from rugby has come way too early,” said Otten.