The World Athletics Centre was set up in 2008 to build a training home for Olympians and has grown to serve athletes and coaches of all levels, with top of the range facilities and hot weather adding to the attraction.

Those taking advantage already include Australia's Beijing 2008 pole vault champion Steve Hooker as well as the world record holder and America's reigning Olympic 110 metres hurdles gold medalist Aries Merritt.

The partnership with Welsh Athletics will begin in November and will see groups of Welsh athletes travel to the WAC base in Phoenix, Arizona for several camps in the build up to the Games to be held next August in Glasgow.

WAC coaches will also make the return journey to South Wales to deliver coach development workshops and athlete development clinics which should help at all levels as well as elite ones.

Welsh athletes won four medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, including gold in the 400m hurdles for Dai Greene, and they will be hoping that the partnership will enable better results next year.

Discus thrower Brett Morse competed in the 2012 Olympic Games for Great Britain and is one of the strongest Welsh hopes for Glasgow 2014


Scott Simpson, Welsh Athletics National Performance Coach, "On behalf of everyone at Welsh Athletics, I can only say how truly delighted we are to be embarking on such an innovative and novel partnership with World Athletics Centre.

"This enterprise will offer Welsh coaches and athletes access to some of the best track and field minds in the world.

"The staff at World Athletics Centre offer cutting edge insight into the world of performance sport and the opportunity for identified individuals in Wales to spend time with them, on both sides of the Atlantic, is extremely exciting.

"Our objective at Welsh Athletics is preparing coaches and athletes to represent Wales and win Commonwealth Games medals - and this latest step couldn't be more aligned with supporting this philosophy.

"I am certain that the environment created by the world-leading coaches and athletes based at the World Athletics Centre will provide the perfect setting for the further development of Wales' best coaches and athletes."

The WAC chief executive John Godina, the former shot putter who was the 1996 and 2000 Olympic silver and bronze medallist respectively, was similarly delighted with the announcement of the partnership.

"We look forward to working with the athletes and coaches to maximize their performance through training camps at our home base in Arizona and Coaches' Education events in Wales," he said.

"Providing athletes, coaches and Federations with premium training systems and a world-class environment is what the World Athletics Centre is all about.

"We are thrilled that Welsh Athletics will be joining us for the season."

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