Welsh Athletes Could Fly The Flag In Europe More Often Under New Plans

By Owen Morgan

Welsh athletes could be pulling on the red vest at the European Athletics Championships in future.

Currently, the only opportunity for the likes of Melissa Courtney, Ieuan Thomas and Bethan Davies to represent Wales in a major championships is at the Commonwealth Games every four years.

But a bid by Scottish Athletics to break away from the Great Britain team and compete independently at European events has been backed by Welsh national coach Chris Jones.

Scotland have written to European Athletics asking if the home nations could compete under their own flags at future events such as the European Athletics Championships, held every two years, and the annual European Cross Country Championships.

The proposal would not affect the Olympics or the World Championships where athletes would continue to represent Great Britain.

Melissa Courtney won Commonwealth Games bronze for Wales then represented GB at the Europeans.
Pic: Getty Images

Responding to the news in an interview with the BBC, recently appointed Wales coach Jones said: “As an opportunity for more athletes to pull on a vest and more exposure to the sport I think it could be a good thing for Wales, there is no doubt about that.

“I think more investment would come into the sport. It could be a huge stepping stone in part of the progression building up to a Commonwealth Games, that is what would be exciting for us to expose athletes to a major championship prior to a Commonwealth Games every four years.

“To build that into our four year cycle would be excellent. It’s just again whether it can actually be agreed on. British Athletics I’m sure will have a view on whether the home nations should be represented individually at European Championships.”

Last summer, eight Welsh athletes were initially selected to don the Great Britain vest at the European Championships in Berlin – Ieuan Thomas, Owen Smith, Melissa Courtney, Bethan Davies, Heather Lewis, Caryl Jones, Charlotte Arter and Dai Greene. Although Arter and team captain Greene missed out through injury.

Jake Hayward would continue to wear British vest at world level.
Pic: Stellar Athletics.

If the Scottish proposal is accepted and the home nations were to be represented individually in future, those Welsh athletes selected would wear the red vest.

It is understood the idea has been discussed by the home nations and UK Athletics for some time. The latest move by Scotland came following the publication of the nation’s latest strategy document.

Scottish Athletics chief executive Mark Munro said: “We recently launched our new strategy document entitled ‘Building a Culture of Success’.

“Enshrined within that document is a principle to try and create more opportunities for Scottish athletes to compete as Scotland at European level.

“Our chair, Ian Beattie, and I attended the European Athletics Convention in Lausanne recently and in writing to thank them, we asked if the possibility could be explored for Scotland – and the other Home nations England, Wales and Northern Ireland – to compete at the likes of the Euro Cross Country Champs (every year) and the European Champs (indoors and outdoors, every two years).

“This has been a topic of discussion by home nations and UK Athletics for the past 18 months or so. We do not envisage any change to the GB team for world championships and Olympics events in their two-year and four-year cycles.

“The landscape in sport is always changing and there are other models in British sport of Scotland competing at European level and then contributing athletes/players to GB teams for Olympics – so we will look at how that framework applies, too.”