Olympic athlete Adele Nicoll has joined the Board of Wales Golf as a Non-Executive Director for high performance.
The 29-year-old shot putter, discus thrower and bobsledder from Mid Wales is currently in training to represent Wales in the shot put at this year’s Commonwealth Games, after returning from competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy in the Monobob and Two Woman bobsleigh.
Speaking about her decision to accept the position on the board, Adele said: “I feel I have a lot of experience in several different performance environments, so I can have a positive influence on the pathway and helping elite, young Welsh golfers.”
She added: “I have always had the drive to give back to Welsh sport because I grew up in Mid Wales where there were not that many opportunities, it is interesting how I have come through that environment to where I am now. I have been through from grass roots to elite sport and I feel I have made so many decisions, mistakes and good moves, that will help me to contribute.
“In the last 15 years, I have been involved in many performance pathways, I have worked under five performance directors, so I have seen a lot of changes. Recently I have been more involved in the bobsleigh, starting when there was no funding and the athletes had ownership and we ran our own set up. On the back of some good results, we earned funding to go back to the Olympics in 2022, which saw us through to 2026. I only had a little bit of funding until we got a World Cup medal, which meant we were fully funded after that.
“I have been part of successful programmes and part of unsuccessful programmes, so I feel I can contribute to decisions where people suggest ideas I have trialled. I feel I have a unique perspective and hopefully can bring value to Wales Golf.”
Wales Golf Chief Executive Hannah McAllister is delighted to have someone of Nicoll’s calibre joining the Board, succeeding former England cricketer and Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris after he sadly passed away at the end of last year.
“Adele will be a great addition to the team, she has so much experience to offer and she is very keen to pass on lessons she has learned,” said McAllister. “It helps she understands elite sport in two very different areas, field athletics and bobsleighing. They may both be quite different from golf, but many of the lessons of talent identification and development will cross over.
“Naturally, there is a lot of golf knowledge in our team, so she can add a different perspective and challenge them in new ways. We welcome her onto the Board where she will be part of a strong team driving the game forward in Wales.”
Although not a golfer herself, Adele has a family background in golf which helps provide an understanding of the sport. “My mother is golf mad, she became Ladies Captain at Lakeside Golf Club outside Welshpool, so I have gone to the driving range with her and my family,” she said. “My parents played such an active role in my career, organising things and driving me around, so that when I moved out they had time to take up golf and quickly moved on to enjoying the competitive element. It gives me a perspective and understanding, so I can look at it from a wider sport point of view even though I do not have time to play much at the moment.
“I am currently training in America, trying to qualify for the Commonwealth Games this summer. I have just thrown the qualification standard, and would love to have the opportunity to represent Wales. But at the same time I am looking ahead to what I want to do when I retire and through choice it would be working within performance sport, so this role with Wales Golf is something I am looking forward to immensely.”
