14 Jun 2018
Lawrence Conway named new Sport Wales chair
BY Tom Walker
Sport Wales has named Lawrence Conway as its new permanent chair.
Conway, a career civil servant, has been given the role a year after previous chair, Paul Thomas, was sacked following what Sport Wales described as a "significant breakdown of interpersonal relationships".
Conway joined the civil service in 1968 and has since had various roles within the Welsh Office.
He previously led the Welsh Office's division for sponsored arms-length bodies – which include the likes of the Welsh Development Agency – and became head of the cabinet secretariat and First Minister's Department in 1998.
The appointment was confirmed by the Welsh minister for culture, tourism and sport, Lord Elis-Thomas.
"I'm really grateful to the minister for this opportunity, particularly because I've been struck by the passion and commitment of Welsh sport to make a real difference for people in Wales," Conway said.
"The development of the new Vision for Sport in Wales offers fresh drive and opportunities that I want to share beyond sport. Being active and healthy brings benefits across Welsh life and we need to highlight these benefits so that sport and sporting activity can become central to people's lives."
In 2016, Sport Wales published its vision for improving the inclusivity and sustainability of sporting facilities throughout the nation.
The strategy, called Facilities for Future Generations: A Blueprint for Sport and Active Recreation in Wales, lays out a framework as a point of reference to “help inform long-term, sustainable decision-making” on the design, provision and maintenance of facilities.
It includes the recommendation for a 25-year plan to create a “long-term approach” to facilities provision, and a local government review for all its current and planned provisions, including schools, colleges/universities, private and voluntary sector facilities.
To support Conway, Sport Wales has named four new board members – Judi Rhys, Professor Leigh Robinson, Martin Veale and Phil Tilley.
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