Philip Carling, Chair, Sports Council Wales

Philip Carling took up the post of Sports Council for Wales Chair on 1st February 2004. He is a former Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan County Cricket Clubs and was a member of the Test and County Cricket Board between 1978-1990. He gained Blues for Cricket and Hockey at Cambridge and remains a keen golfer and squash player. He is a member of the Board of UK Sport, Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of UK Sport and a member of the Major Events Panel. He is an experienced business consultant who has worked successfully with a number of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors on major projects and sponsorship/marketing campaigns, including the Rugby World Cup 1999, the Noah's Ark Appeal and Mencap in Wales.

Message from Philip Carling

As chair of the Sports Council Wales, I am delighted to welcome you all to the Welsh Institute of Sport. It will be an exciting opportunity to learn from each other about the role of sport in communities and about the funding and organisation of sport.

I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to our international speakers and participants, who have travelled to Cardiff from several continents, and to Taha Barwary and the rest of the Kurdistan Region delegation who are working to build a lasting legacy of sport in Kurdistan. Sports Council Wales has a long history of working with governments across the world to enable them to develop their sporting infrastructure and to build enduring legacies of sporting excellence and participation.

Wales is well-known across the world for its sporting achievements. We are particularly proud that Cardiff has been chosen to represent the UK as its International City of Sport in 2009. It is a pleasure for us to share our sporting experiences at both the grassroots and elite level with all of our participants over the next two days.

Sport is a fantastic way to bring communities together and has profound social impacts. I wish the Kurdistan Regional Government all the best in their efforts to promote sporting opportunities at all levels in the Kurdistan Region and sincerely hope that the legacy of sport will contribute to the region's ongoing security and prosperity.

With best regards,

Philip Carling