As Japan took the Bronze Medal with a 2-0 victory over South Korea to end Cardiff’s run of 11 games, another bumper crowd enjoyed a fantastic Olympic occasion in Wales’ capital city.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors have flocked to Cardiff over the 16 days since the Millennium Stadium hosted the first sporting event of the Olympic Games – and the first Olympic action on Welsh soil – on Wednesday 25 July.
With just two days remaining at the Games in London, Cardiff’s biggest fans have reflected on the carnival atmosphere during Wales’ Olympic chapter, which brought the Brazilian soccer team to town and staged two sell-out games of Team GB men’s football.
“We’ve seen a brilliant family atmosphere in Cardiff throughout the Games,” said George from Pontypridd. “The Olympics appeals to a variety of people and the fans have mixed well inside the Stadium and around the city. The Millennium Stadium has showed the world that the Olympics are not just about London and I’m proud to be Welsh.”
The reaction was echoed by Sarah from Caerphilly: “Cardiff is doing a fantastic job of representing Great Britain. Everyone’s got together and there’s an overwhelming feeling of unity with the fans. I’m so happy to be part of it.”
The iconic home of Welsh sport also impressed Paul from Australia. He said: “Cardiff always puts on a spectacle whether it’s rugby, Speedway or football. The Olympics is fortunate to be here and I’m so happy to be a part of it. It’s been great. For me, you can’t have a home Games without spreading the sports into other venues. Millennium Stadium is a world-class stadium and it’s great for the Games and great for Wales.”
According to, Matthew, a first-time visitor from England: “The atmosphere in Cardiff has been electric. This is my first time inside the Millennium Stadium and I think it’s awesome. Everybody is getting on really well together and we’re all living the Olympic dream.”
Some 22% more visitors have travelled to Cardiff during the Olympic tournament, according to Cardiff Council.
“What a great city this has been to watch the games,” said Heather Joyce, Cardiff council leader, following Team GB men’s quarter-final clash last week.
Huw Thomas, the authority’s cabinet member for sport, leisure and culture, added: “The amount of excellent praise the city has received during this time has been overwhelming and just reinforces what great infrastructure we have as well as the fantastic people we have working and living here, welcoming people to the city.”
