6. Will the First Minister make a statement on the importance of sporting success in promoting Wales to the world? OAQ(5)0694(FM)

It plays a rich part in our culture and tradition. We’re almost a year on from the Euros, which did more than, I suppose, any politician could have done in raising Wales’s profile around Europe and the world. Yes, one of the things we sometimes forget is, at a time, in the nineteenth century when we had very little else to show as a nation, sport played a huge part in developing modern Wales and giving people a sense of nationhood. It was in 1905 that a national anthem was first sung at any sporting event anywhere in the world, at the Wales-New Zealand game. So, it is hugely important, not just in terms of adding to our culture, but, of course, as an economic driver, particularly in Swansea.

Can I thank the First Minister for that response? I think we all—or most of us really enjoyed Wales’s success last year at the Euros, and that we really did see Wales being promoted as a major player in Europe because of it. I think it is, of course, crucial that Sport Wales also realises the importance of professional sport in Wales. Does the First Minister agree with me, regarding Swansea City Association Football Club and the importance of Premiership football for promoting Swansea and Wales? Thirty-eight Premiership games a year are shown on television throughout the world with the word ‘Swansea’ being mentioned. That’s the best publicity Swansea or Wales get from anywhere. Is the First Minister also very pleased that Swansea are spending yet another season in the Premiership?

The simple answer is ‘yes’. I don’t think I can go very much beyond that, but Mike Hedges is absolutely right to say how important Swansea City is as a brand for the city of Swansea as well. We’ve worked, through Visit Wales, with the club since 2011 to increase the profile of the club, and, of course, the profile of Wales.

Well, after Mike Hedges, exactly the same: the tremendous effects of the success of our national team—football team—in reaching the semifinals in Euro 2016 we had in promoting Wales in the world. Now, I think that cricket is also the sport that is commonly played among Commonwealth countries, and some of the countries that are much smaller than Wales are representing on the world stage and flying their flag in the cricket fields all over the globe. Why can’t, First Minister, we agree on this, now, that the time has come for us, Wales, to have our own cricket team to represent Wales on the world stage?

This is an issue that I’ve certainly supported in the past—certainly a one-day team. Not a test team; I don’t think we’re playing close to that level. But it is odd that we see Ireland and Scotland playing in international tournaments and not Wales. We did have a one-day team at one point for a few years. I know there are concerns in Glamorgan because of the financial advantage they get, being part of the England and Wales Cricket Board, as it’s sometimes forgotten about, but from my perspective, I’d very much like to see us represented internationally at cricket, as long as, of course, there’s no financial hit on Glamorgan and their ability to play at the highest level.

First of all, unfortunately I think Mike Hedges was right, actually, about Swansea.

Member of the Senedd:

It’s not unfortunate.

As a Cardiff City Football Club fan it is. To be serious, though, I’ve had a lot of complaints from constituents that they don’t feel that we support cycling enough in Wales. Geraint Thomas has just been the first Welshman to ever wear the yellow jersey, and I would hope you would congratulate him on that formally. I would just like to know: what is your Government doing to promote cycling more?

We’ve had events, of course, being held in Wales. There was the Tour of Britain, if I remember. I remember being in Caerphilly, watching it as it crossed Caerphilly mountain. We have, of course, the velodrome in Newport, which is a very good facility for people to be able to use, and the fact that we have had success in international cycling—Geraint Thomas, of course, at the moment; Nicole Cook and others in the past—shows that we do have the facilities in place to promote cycling. We know, of course, that cycling, again, is one of those sports that is an elite sport at international level, but is a hugely important activity in terms of improving people’s health when they are cycling for recreation.