The most popular sports in Wales are football and rugby union. Wales, like other constituent nations of the UK, enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games (however as Great Britain in the Olympics).
As in New Zealand, rugby union is a core part of the national identity, although football is the preferred sport in North Wales. The professional era has had a traumatic effect on the traditional structure of club rugby in Wales.
Wales shares a single top flight rugby structure with Scotland and Wales, the Magners League and plays in the EDF Energy Cup against teams from England. Wales is represented by four regional teams who also take part in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.
The Welsh national rugby union team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship, and the Rugby World Cup.
The governing bodies for football in Wales is the Football Association of Wales. They run the national teams, the recreational game and the main cup competitions.
Wales has its own football league since 1992, but for historical reasons, the 3 major Welsh clubs (Swansea City, Cardiff City and Wrexham A.F.C.) play in the English Football League and another three minor clubs in its feeder leagues. The main Welsh Cup competitions are the Welsh Cup and the FAW Premier Cup.
In cricket, England and Wales field a single representative team in international competition which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There is a separate Wales team that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship.
Rugby league is now developing in Wales. Since 2003, there has been a national league and in 2006, semi-professional league comes back to the principality with the advent of the Celtic Crusaders.
The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games Association. The next Island Games will be held in 2007 on Rhodes (Greece). In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, the Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Wales has produced some great world class snooker players such as Terry Griffiths, Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens. Amateur participation in the sport is very high. The rugged terrain of the country also gives plenty of opportunities for rally driving and Wales currently hosts the finale of the World Rally Championship. Glamorgan compete in county cricket competitions and the Cardiff Devils were once a strong force in British ice hockey. There is also some success in boxing. Joe Calzaghe the half-Welsh, half-Italian boxer is current World Super-Middleweight Champion and Swansea born Enzo Maccarinelli the current WBO, WBC and WBU World Cruiserweight Champion.
Wales has also produced a number of athletes who have made a mark on the world stage, including the 110m hurdler Colin Jackson who is a former world record holder and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals.
Two Welsh drivers have competed in the Formula One championship: the first was Alan Rees at the 1967 British Grand Prix, who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, Jim Clark. Tom Pryce was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the 1975 British Grand Prix, qualified in pole position. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren, killing both instantly. As well as Formula One, Wales have had some notability in the World Rally Championship, producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist, who helped Colin McRae to victory in 1996 and Phil Mills who helped Petter Solberg win the 2003 title.
Other notable Welsh sports people include 11 times gold medal winning paralympic athlete Tani Grey Thompson, BDO world darts champion Richie Burnett and international champion cyclist Nicole Cooke.