8. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Major events

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:00 pm on 5 October 2022.

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Photo of James Evans James Evans Conservative 5:00, 5 October 2022

Having that regular event coming back and forth to Wales is fantastic. I would like to see more major darts events in Wales, because I think it's very, very important that we highlight that. But golf is probably my No. 1 love in life, I would think—[Interruption.] No, I won't tell my girlfriend. [Laughter.] I spend much of my time on the golf course, and she isn't very happy about that either. But as Natasha Asghar did say, the 2010 Ryder Cup really did put Wales on the world map in terms of golf, and now Wales is seen as one of the top golfing destinations around the world. Things have flowed out from the 2010 Ryder Cup. We've seen the senior men's open come to Wales, with the best men golfers from around the world coming here, and we had Bernhard Langer win at Royal Porthcawl, with all the best golfers coming to Wales.

But something I would like to see, and maybe the Minister could pick this up in his closing speech at the end, is the Solheim Cup, which is the women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup. It's been here once before, and I know they are looking for a venue, so I'd like to know what work the Welsh Government is doing to try and get the Solheim Cup back to Wales, to really promote women's golf, and the value that that brings to enhancing women's sport around the world. I'd also like to know what discussions you've had with the Royal and Ancient to actually bring the Open Championship to Wales. It's been in Scotland, it's been in England, it's been in Northern Ireland. So, I do think it's about time Wales hosted the men's open golf tournament.

I can't help but remember the First Minister mentioning not so long ago his love of cricket. We had the Hundred come to Cardiff, which I went to watch, and I'm sure we'd like to see more major cricket events coming to Wales and more tests, so maybe the Minister can comment on that. Major sporting events are very, very important for Wales. They highlight just how much of a sporting nation we are. It's not just about the rugby, it's not just about the football, but, as Huw said, it's about the smaller events that really do mean the most to the Welsh people and the Welsh economy.