Olympics Wales 2012
THE first sporting event of the 2012 London Olympics will be staged in Cardiff, it was confirmed today.
It means the city’s Millennium Stadium will host the women’s preliminary football matches two days before the official opening of the Games.
The double-header of matches will be staged at 4pm on July 25, an hour before matches kick off in Glasgow and Coventry – with the opening ceremony in London on July 27.
The Cardiff clashes will be among 11 at the Millennium Stadium, which will also include two quarter-finals and the bronze medal men’s match on August 10. The ground is one of six football venues to be used, along with Hampden Park in Glasgow, Old Trafford in Manchester, St James’ Park in Newcastle and Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, with the finals being held at Wembley Stadium in London.
Richard Thomas, of Cardiff & Co, which markets the capital around the world, said: “With the city quite literally kicking off the 2012 Olympics, it’s fantastic that Cardiff is being exposed to a new audience with teams visiting the Welsh capital that have probably never been before.
“As a result, it will give Cardiff a profile in new markets and open up fresh opportunity to attract visitors, conference-goers and investors in the future.”
29 September – 3 October 2010
For those with a passion for golf, there's only one place to be…the Celtic Manor Resort on the outskirts of Newport in South Wales. Why? The best reason in the golfing calendar of course. The magnificent Ryder Cup.
Wales is an exceptional golf destination for many reasons. Take Royal St David's, which features in the Golf Digest Top 100 Courses. Or the dramatic clifftop Cardigan with its giant views. Or Cradoc, where at the ninth, you get a game-stopping panorama of the Brecon Beacons. Be in no doubt, as a visiting golfer you are spoiled for choice. There are nearly 200 courses to choose from in this relatively compact country!
Wherever you play, you will discover 'golf as it should be'. In other words, unhurried golf in inspired surroundings, at realistic cost with easy access to tee times. This is about getting back to the spirit of golf: challenge and conviviality; achievement and entertainment.
And after the last shot is played, you'll want to make the most of in the 19th hole experience. Be our guest. Indulge yourself with superb cuisine and relaxing spa treatments, a theatre visit or a serious shopping raid. You've got all of Wales to savour, whether that means the sheltering coves of Pembrokeshire, the drama of a Snowdonian ridge or the dazzle of Cardiff's waterside is entirely up to you.
Woosnam On Wales
Captain of the successful European team in the 2006 Ryder Cup, Ian Woosnam has more than a soft spot for his home country – he’s our enthusiastic ‘Ambassador of Welsh Golf’ and can’t wait for 2010.
‘It’s a massive, massive tournament, and it goes to a billion homes. I’m talking, of course, about the Ryder Cup, which comes to Wales in 2010. And about time too.
‘I know Wales – and Welsh golf – like the back of my hand. We have some of the best, friendliest courses in the world. I have a special feeling for Aberdovey, the magnificent links course on Cardigan Bay. Part of the attraction has always been its great condition throughout the winter so I could keep my hand in. It’s a magic place and I return there whenever I can. In fact, I still keep a caravan behind the first tee.
‘My home course of Llanymynech is another favourite, even though three of its 18 holes are in England! As a youngster I worked on the family farm, and only when I’d finished my tasks was I allowed to play golf. Those years of farm work gave me strength and may be responsible for my reputation as a long hitter. It certainly came in handy at Llanymynech and elsewhere.
‘The view from the 12th tee at Llanymynech is one of the most magnificent you’ll see anywhere. Other favourites include the links at Royal St David’s, where you play in the shadow of Harlech Castle, and Royal Porthcawl overlooking Swansea Bay.
‘I can personally recommend many more courses: Prestatyn, Maesdu, North Wales and Conwy along the North Wales coast, Nefyn on the Llŷn Peninsula, and Ashburnham down south. In the south-east, I won two tour events at St Pierre and I have very close ties with the Ryder Cup 2010 venue at Celtic Manor.
’My connection with Terry Matthews’s masterpiece goes back to the early 1990s. I was attached to the club as touring professional for seven years and it has been great to watch the complex grow. The Twenty Ten course is a world-class venue that will set the seal on Wales’s arrival as a major magnet for golf tourists.
Uplifted noses are not encouraged
‘But there is more to golf than playing. Our clubhouses share a special talent for hospitality – the friendly bar, the inevitable snooker table, the animated discussions. People who think golf is a snobbish game should visit a Welsh clubhouse. Uplifted noses are not encouraged. We specialise more in laughter and banter. The clubhouses haven’t changed throughout the years and I hope they never will.
Life After Golf
We’re not, for a moment, suggesting that you’re not a keen and enthusiastic golfer. But there is life after golf, especially when you’re off course in Wales. A golfing break or holiday here means more than just playing the game. The golf’s irresistible. But so too are the amazing number of non-golfing diversions – the attractions and alternative sports, the countryside and the culture – you’ll find here.
Wales has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of castles and historic places. Some of Britain’s highest mountains spring from its soil. Three of the country’s four sides are washed by the sea. And if you’re still hungry for a piece of action after putting that birdie, then you have a wealth of alternative activities from which to choose.
(content from http://golf.visitwales.com/)
