Ryder Cup will boost profile of Wales, insists Jones (From South Wales Argus)

Ryder Cup will boost profile of Wales, insists Jones

1:44pm Tuesday 21st September 2010 in Gwent news

THE Ryder Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise Wales's profile and attract investors, First Minister Carwyn Jones said today.

The golf tournament, which tees off at Newport's Celtic Manor resort next week, will put Wales on the TV screens of two billion people, he said.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make sure people have heard of Wales, when they visit Wales they want to come back and they see Wales as a place to invest,’’ he said.

"It's a tournament that, bluntly, I don't think we would have had any chance of getting before devolution because the political dynamic didn't exist in Wales.’’ He said Wales's ability to host such a big competition "is a sign that we are a major player on the world stage when it comes to hosting sporting events’’.

Attracting and hosting the tournament has cost the taxpayer £40 million over 10 years and more was spent on bringing forward projects, including rail and road improvements, in time for the event.

Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said the £70 million boost the Ryder Cup was forecast to bring the economy before the recession may be difficult to achieve following the downturn.

"Any reasonable person would assume that because we have had a recession that might have to be revised,’’ he told the Cabinet's weekly press briefing, the first of the new autumn term.

"We won't know for some months after the Ryder Cup how successful we have been.’’ He added: "We are using it to strengthen the business community in Wales and give us a chance to speak to international companies that could invest in Wales.’’