Interview with Nigel Walker
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Interview Interview with Nigel Walker I competed in the 1986 European Championships, in which I came fourth in the 110m high hurdles. I was disappointed, but I remember Andy Norman, the promotions officer for the British Amateur Athletics Board approaching me afterwards and complimenting me on my interview performance rather than my race performance! I enjoyed English at school and consider myself to be good with words. At that stage in my athletics career I couldn’t make enough money to become a full-time athlete, also I am very risk averse by nature, and so at the age of 26/27 I became a part-time athlete, supplementing my athletics by part-time work, and I was also supported by my then partner, who is now my wife (and my rock). You turned to Rugby in 1992 which must have taken enormous courage; to switch sports halfway through your career. Why did you make this switch and was rugby a natural successor to hurdling. What other options/sports did you consider ? th After coming 4 in the European Championships I did a reality check. I have always been a realist and I knew I needed to be in the top three to Nigel Walker is currently Head of Sport for BBC Wales. He was born in Cardiff in 1963. succeed. I trained hard, but I failed to th He represented Great Britain at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the 110m high qualify (coming 5 ) in the 1992 hurdles. He won 30 vests in total representing GB in all the major championships Olympic Trials. I was 29 years old, and I winning bronze medals at the European and World Indoor Championships in 1997. just decided to switch to Rugby. I had After failing to make the GB&NI team for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 he retired always been good at Rugby, as well as from athletics to pursue a career in rugby. In August 1992 he commenced training other sport at school, having played with Cardiff RFC and played his first game for the club on 4 September. In March tennis, basketball, baseball, cricket and 1993 he played for Wales in the five nations match against Ireland. During his rugby football. Speed is the basis for most career he won 17 caps for Wales, and scored 12 tries, before making a final sports, and I found that I was able to appearance in February 1998 against England. He is actively involved in fund raising take well to most sporting activities. activities for Cancer Research Wales, George Thomas Hospice Care, and the NSPCC. Both professional and gifted You first gained fame in Wales as an with whom I trained, was much better amateur sports people appear to Olympic hurdler in 1984. Can you technically, and while we are similar have special qualities and skills. explain when you first identified heights, his inside leg is longer than What do you think these are, and your athletic ability, and whether mine – by 2 inches! which may be transferable to you consider there to have been ‘ordinary’ jobs? special events (positive and To my parent’s disappointment, I left I think you have to be committed, negative) and people crucial to your school at 18. After spending the start of dedicated, and ambitious and have a success ? this ‘gap year’ on the sofa, and following dream goal that you are prepared to I was 14 years old, and in Green House, much persuasion from my mother to work towards. These qualities can be Caradog, Rumney High School. It was ‘get a job or else...’ I took a job in civil applied to all walks of life, and it isn’t Sports Day, and I was asked to run the service, and worked in the Welsh Office the most intelligent or most gifted hurdles, to fill in for someone else. for 10 years, before moving to the people who succeed – it is the people There was no pressure and I ran it in 14 Sports Council for Wales as a who make sacrifices. seconds, and became the school’s Development Officer in 1993. I hadn’t hurdle champion. Two weeks later I ran taken athletics too seriously training During my time at Cardiff Amateur in the county championships and won, twice a week in the summer and playing Athletics club I was not the most and 3 weeks later I was in the Welsh rugby and football in the winter. This talented. There were several others who Championships – so everything changed when I turned 19 and I upped were more talented, but they never happened in the space of three weeks. I my training to six days a week and gave went on to succeed. I squeezed every was lucky, and in the right place at the up all other sports. Two years later at last drop of talent out of myself, and as right time. I was not the most the age of 21, I was selected for the I mentioned, luck is also important – technically proficient. Colin Jackson, 1984 Olympics. these factors can take you past others 22 Interview who are more talented. Everyone has a Do you have a view regarding how golf. Obviously the Cup will bring a lot of gift; you just need to find it. the people in Wales have or could American tourists. What will be more benefit from taking part in sporting difficult to assess is the nature and Sports preferences in Wales are activity, in a wider sense than extent of the longer term benefits. We very diverse. How does the BBC simply social inclusion? first have to live through the experience. cope with this? I think that sport exerts a great There are certainly different sports influence on nations and on individual How can we in Wales benefit from preferences across Wales. Football is welfare. For example, Wales played Italy the 2012 Olympics? more important than Rugby in North in football 3 years ago in front of one of The Olympics are likely to bring much Wales, while the reverse is true for the biggest TV audiences of all time in smaller impacts to Wales directly, but South Wales. We know from our Wales. People were greatly anticipating hopefully there will be plenty of interest research at the BBC that North Waleans the game, and talking about it for weeks in the event from the people of Wales. have a strong interest in football teams after as Wales won 2-1 - It created a The Sports Council for Wales and the such as Manchester United, Everton, ‘feel-good factor’. Research done in the Assembly will certainly be working with Liverpool, and Wrexham has a large 1970s showed that if Wales won a game the relevant bodies associated with the following. These diverse interests on the Saturday, productivity went up 2012 event to make sure that any present a challenge for broadcasters, throughout the following week. This is a opportunities arising for Wales are fully and we try to get the balance right with small country which is partly why so utilised. For example, teams that are regard to programming. I would hope many of us delight in achievements not acclimatised to London may want to that everyone in Wales would say that which raise its profile. Sport can provide do some advance training, and the UK they get something out of the BBC opportunities for inclusion and improved regions may be able to benefit from whether it’s watching Eastenders or well-being. It is difficult to measure how hosting these teams for weeks or Belonging, listening to Radio Wales, far it goes, but it is important months beforehand, and preparations Radio Cymru , Radio 1,2 or Five Live or nonetheless. will already have been made to secure consuming the incredibly diverse online some of this action. offering – if not, I feel we have failed. Do you consider the Millennium stadium to be an economic asset or And finally, can you tell us what you You are fortunate to have inherited simply an attractive and useful would most like to see changed in your talent for sport and to be able building? Wales, and what you most love to carve out a career from it. Many I am certain the stadium is an economic about it?’ people would consider BBC Head of asset. I have been to a large number of It’s not so much “changed in Wales” but Sport a dream job. Can you give us stadia in my time, and this is one of the more changing the perception some in an idea of what your job entails? best. It has put Wales on the map for other parts of the UK have about Wales. I have been in post at BBC Wales for 4 many who were unaware of it, and its i.e. that Wales is some backwater and a half years. There is a team of city centre location is good for Cardiff. mainly inhabited by sheep and where around 60 people involved in the Most stadia are located outside city the main occupation is coal mining! production of sport output. My centres. Obviously the level of impact responsibilities as Head of Sport include varies between events. I have lived in Cardiff all my life and the commissioning and scheduling of all while I enjoy life in and around the City BBC Wales sports output in both English What do you consider to be the centre the thought of being able to jump and Welsh – on TV, Radio and on-line.