WSA member Pride Sports Cymru bid to host EuroGames in Cardiff

WSA member Pride Sports Cymru bid to host EuroGames in Cardiff

Welsh Sports Association (WSA) member organisation Pride Sports Cymru have announced their bid to host a EuroGames in Cardiff in 2027.

The EuroGames is a European multi-sport event governed by the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF). It is the largest multi-sport event for athletes, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, in Europe.

Pride Sports is the longest standing LGBTQ+ sports development and inclusion organisation in the UK, working across England and Wales to ensure LGBTQ+ people get access to safe and fulfilling sport and physical activity.

Established in 2006 in Manchester, Pride Sports also runs the well-known Football v Homophobia campaign and has been working for eight years in Wales, earlier this year launching its official Pride Sports Cymru brand, who are part of the WSA membership base.

Pride Sports Director, Lou Englefield, commented:

“Bringing a EuroGames to Wales is a passion project for Pride Sports Cymru. It’s a huge opportunity to showcase Cardiff as a world class sporting city, and to highlight Wales’ ambition to become the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.”

Joining Lou on the bid team for Cardiff 2027 are Charlotte Galloway, Chair of Cardiff Dragons, and Jess Williams, Head of Service and Partner Development at Sport Wales.

Cardiff EuroGames 2027 will aim to bring a programme of more than twenty sports competitions and 6,000 athletes to the city during July 2027. Alongside the competition schedule, the bidding team also hope to showcase some of the great participatory activity the city has to offer, such as Queer Parkour Cardiff.

The programme will also extend up into the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), with plans for trail running and cycling events taking place in one of Wales’ iconic national parks.

With upwards of 10,000 athletes and visitors attending the event and existing facilities being used for the sports competitions, a EuroGames would also be set to contribute significantly to the local economy.

The bidding team are also working on a robust legacy plan for the Games, which will see a growth in sport and physical activity amongst LGBTQ+ people in Wales, and the growth of community organised sports in Cardiff.

Visit the Pride Sports Cymru website for further details and their full press release.