A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO WELSH GYMNASTICS
Monthly CEO Update
Dear Club,
As we reflect on an extraordinary July and August, I am incredibly proud of everything that has been achieved across Welsh Gymnastics.
A Golden Summer for Welsh Gymnastics
Fresh from Glasgow 2026, our Commonwealth Games campaign has been nothing short of historic. With three medals one Gold and two Bronze this was our most successful Artistic Commonwealth Games ever.
A huge congratulations to Ruby Evans on her Gold medal, and to Abigail Roper and Emily Roper on their Bronze medals. Their achievements, alongside those of the entire Welsh team, have given us so much to celebrate. While our gymnasts were competing in Glasgow, there was further international recognition for Welsh talent. Emily James in Aerobic Gymnastics and Elizabeth Popova in Rhythmic Gymnastics were selected to represent Great Britain at their respective World Championships.
Celebrating Success Together
One of the highlights of this month has been seeing the Welsh gymnastics community come together to celebrate these incredible achievements.
Thank you to everyone who supported our gymnasts throughout their Commonwealth Games journey and to those who attended the homecoming celebrations, the event at the Senedd and Ruby’s very special welcome home. These moments reminded us just how much pride and passion there is for Welsh gymnastics across our communities.
Ruby’s summer did not stop in Glasgow. She went straight on to the European Championships, where she achieved an impressive 4th-place finish on Floor, alongside a strong team performance. Congratulations also to Olivia Bryl, who was selected as a British coach for the event – another proud moment for Welsh Gymnastics.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Popova competed at the World Championships, achieving a total score of 92.35 and Ioana Popova selected as British Coach for the event. Congratulations to Elizabeth and everyone involved in supporting her journey.
Investing in Our Communities
Away from the international stage, we continue to see fantastic progress across the gymnastics community.
Through Be Active Wales, more than £94,000 has been invested in community clubs, supporting opportunities for people across Wales to participate and thrive in our sport.
Our community has also continued to raise vital funds towards Access Gymnastics, demonstrating once again the commitment across Welsh gymnastics to ensuring that our sport is open and accessible to everyone.
We were also proud to deliver the first Delivering Gymnastics Activity course in Britain and have 40 newly qualified Assistant Foundation Coaches. Alongside this, we have trained 11 new tutors including 3 that are Welsh speaking and 12 sports leaders’ tutors who are now ready to support delivery in communities across Wales. This is an exciting step forward as we continue to build capacity, develop people and create more opportunities for participation.
Looking Ahead
As we move into the autumn, there is plenty ahead for Welsh Gymnastics.
We will be undertaking a review of our Commonwealth Games campaign, bringing together insight from across our Performance and Community teams. It is important that we learn from our experiences and, crucially, continue to listen to the voice of our community as we shape the future of Welsh gymnastics.
We also look forward to our Safe Environment campaign, including the introduction of our new banners, as well as our Awards and Conference on the 24th October. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to submit nominations, and I wish the very best of luck to everyone being recognised and celebrated.
September also brings the Welsh TRA, DMT and TUM Championships, and we are looking forward to seeing another exciting month of gymnastics ahead.
Alongside our competition calendar, we will continue to invest in the development of our coaches and judges. This will include the delivery of Practical Level 4 in Wales, supporting coaches to progress their technical knowledge and practical application, as well as continued development of our GFA judging pathway. We will also continue to develop discipline-specific modules, providing more targeted learning and development opportunities across our gymnastics disciplines.
There is a lot to look forward to over the coming months, and we remain committed to creating opportunities for our community to develop, learn and thrive at every level.
Thank You
Finally, thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to Welsh Gymnastics – our gymnasts, coaches, clubs, volunteers, officials, partners, families and supporters.
August has shown what can be achieved when talent, ambition and community come together. From historic international success to investment in grassroots gymnastics, there is so much to be proud of. Please continue to share your thoughts with us – https://forms.gle/pM21n9YGyS6fSZuJA
Thank you for being part of the journey, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the months ahead.
Warm regards,
Siwan Mair
