Commonwealth Games Wales have today revealed the names of seven Welsh athletes selected to compete for Team Wales in three of the para-sports featured at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

Double gold winner at this year’s World Championships in Los Angeles, and ranked second in the world, James Ball, will represent Wales in the men’s blind and visually impaired cycling event.

The Commonwealth Games is the only international multi-sport event which features an integrated para-sport programme. 2018 will see the largest para-sport programme in the history of the Games - with up to 300 para-athletes and 38 medal events across seven sports. This is an increase of 45% more athletes and 73% more medals compared to the para-sport competition staged at the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Matt Cosgrove, Performance Director with Welsh Cycling said: It’s great to be able to announce the first member of the cycling team for Gold Coast 2018. Although he is still relatively new to cycling, James is the reigning World Champion in the two Para-cycling events on the Gold Coast programme so will go into the competition full of confidence".