Rebecca Edwards-Symmons: Cardiff Met partnership is more than a sponsorship

Commonwealth Games Wales CEO Rebecca Edwards-Symmons has praised Cardiff Met's role in supporting Team Wales on the road to Glasgow 2026, describing the partnership between the two organisations as "meaningful" and far more than a traditional sponsorship agreement.

Speaking at Cardiff Met during Team Wales' athlete announcement event for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Edwards-Symmons highlighted how the University's support extends across multiple areas of the organisation, from performance services and athlete preparation to student-led projects and innovation.

For Edwards-Symmons, Glasgow 2026 will be a particularly special milestone. Having joined Commonwealth Games Wales three and a half years ago, this summer will mark her first Commonwealth Games as Chief Executive.

"I actually started with the business three and a half years ago, so I haven't done a Games yet," she said. "Everything that we've been doing in the last three and a half years is building up to today and, obviously, to the Games themselves."

The athlete announcement event, hosted at Cardiff Met as part of the King's Baton Relay celebrations, provided an opportunity to showcase the growing relationship between the University and Commonwealth Games Wales.

Edwards-Symmons revealed that securing a higher education partner was one of her first priorities after taking on the role, with Cardiff Met immediately standing out as the ideal organisation to work alongside.

"When I actually came into the business, the first thing I wanted to do was secure a higher education partnership. And the first person I reached out to was Cardiff Met.

"A lot of our athletes actually come from Cardiff Met and a lot of people within the organisation have actually come through Cardiff Met."

What has followed is a partnership that reaches well beyond branding opportunities, with Cardiff Met students and staff contributing directly to Team Wales' preparations for Glasgow.

"I was looking for a higher education partnership that could actually work around the whole organisation," Edwards-Symmons explained.

"That has grown into a partnership which includes students designing the kit. We've had students designing pin badges. I've had one group of students designing an app for the Games. We've got the performance team wrapping around seven of the sports that needed extra support in the build-up to the Games. Every facet of the organisation has been involved."

The collaboration reflects Cardiff Met's wider ambition to be recognised as Wales' Sporting University, using sport as a vehicle for performance, innovation, education and wider social impact through a whole-system approach.

For Edwards-Symmons, it is that depth of engagement that makes the partnership so valuable.

"It's not a commercial partnership which means nothing," she said. "It's very much a meaningful partnership that wraps around our organisation so that we've actually got a larger organisation, Cardiff Met, on board."

The partnership's impact can already be seen across Team Wales, with numerous Cardiff Met students, alumni and staff selected for Glasgow 2026, while many more continue to contribute behind the scenes.

Alongside celebrating those selected to represent Wales this summer, Edwards-Symmons also used the occasion to encourage young people to embrace sport and physical activity.

"You see a lot of mainstream sports in schools, and I think it's really important for young people to know that being physically active is incredibly important to their futures," she said.

"But also, if there's a sport that you can't do or you struggle at, there's another 30 out there. I think it's really important to embrace the fact that we have a diverse range of sports that are going to be for everyone to be part of."

Her advice was simple.

"Give something a go. Be brave and give something a go."

Edwards-Symmons also reflected on her own journey into the sporting sector, highlighting that successful careers in sport are not reserved solely for elite athletes.

"I've worked in sport for eight years, and I'm not an ex-athlete," she said.

"People used to ask me what my sport was, and at first I'd feel a bit funny about it. But now I'm quite proud of being able to say that I'm not an actual athlete, but I was a good swimmer and I was a dancer.

"I think it's something for everyone."

As Team Wales enters the final stages of preparation for Glasgow 2026, the partnership between Team Wales and Cardiff Met continues to demonstrate the value of collaboration across sport, education and innovation.

For Edwards-Symmons, the relationship represents far more than sponsorship. It is a partnership helping to create opportunities, support athletes and strengthen Welsh sport for the future.

Interview by Fathema Khatun, MSc Sport Broadcast Student, Article written by Damian Burgess, Digital Media and Marketing Officer at Cardiff Met Sport