Tell us about your organisation

Sport Wales is the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and physical activity in Wales. The organisation works with partners, including sports governing bodies and local authorities, to encourage young people to get into sport, encourage active habits for life, and to provide its most promising athletes with the support they need to compete successfully on the world stage.

Sport Wales also distributes grants from The National Lottery to enable sport in Wales to thrive. The Be Active Wales Fund supports projects which reduce inequality, create long-term sustainability and which introduce new or different ways of operating.

We work in partnership with a number of different organizations that deliver and develop sport across Wales in order to achieve the Vision for Sport in Wales – which is an active nation where everyone has a lifelong enjoyment of sport. We want to unleash the benefits of sport for everyone in Wales so that we’re a healthier and more active nation.

Why are you supporting the awards?

We are delighted to be supporting the Womenspire awards again this year. Role models have such an important part to play in inspiring others to be active – the Womenspire awards celebrate those special people, and we want to help share their stories.

We live complex lives, and each group of people face particular barriers which prevent them from enjoying physical activity – the way women overcome those barriers should be celebrated and their stories told so that we as a sector can learn from their experiences.

Why does gender equality matter to you?

We’re aiming to achieve the Vision for Sport in Wales which is to become an active nation where everyone has a lifelong enjoyment of sport. And when we say everyone, we mean everyone. We believe that sport can contribute to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. The Vision spells out how sport can help create a prosperous Wales, a resilient Wales, a healthier Wales, a Wales of cohesive communities, a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language, a globally responsible Wales and a more equal Wales.

Why do you support the work of Chwarae Teg?

We work with a fantastic range of partners who share our values and can support us in achieving the Vision for Sport in Wales, including Chwarae Teg. Our most recent research suggests that inequalities still exist where women are less active than others and more likely to face barriers to change this. We hope that the female role models who engage with Chwarae Teg and partners alike can help us inspire people to make a real difference and enable women and girls to be active.