Wales bids for the British Open andTour de France
THE Welsh Government is in talks about hosting a Tour de France stage and golf’s Open championship, following the success of Cardiff’s Champions League final.
As well as Saturday’s enthralling match between Real Madrid and Juventus, Wales has already hosted a number of top sporting events including the Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Ashes and Olympic events.
This week the England-New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy takes place in Cardiff, and in 2019 the Cricket World Cup will take place in the city.
The Welsh Government is now keen to build on these events and attract more big sporting occasions to the country.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates told the BBC: “I think there is great potential to host new major events that have not yet been to Wales. be an issue given the limited local infrastructure.
Wales has already made its mark in cycling races, hosting stages in the last seven Tours of Britain and gearing up to hold the final stage in Cardiff this year.
Now the Welsh Government is hoping cycling’s most famous race, the Tour de France, will come to the country.
It wouldn’t be the first time a part of the prestigious event has been held in Britain. A stage was held in Yorkshire in 2014, and previous tours have seen stages in Plymouth, Kent, and London.
“The Giro d’Italia and Tour de France are hugely popular and we have proved we can host major cycling events in Wales, I would like to attract more,” said Mr Skates.
“We have been speaking to the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France and that would be really exciting.”