2002 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 2002 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * First Minister – Rhodri Morgan
 * Secretary of State for Wales
 * Paul Murphy (until 24 October)
 * Peter Hain
 * Archbishop of Wales – Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth (translated)
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
 * Meirion Evans (outgoing)
 * Robyn Llŷn (incoming)

Events

 * In the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll, those with a Welsh connection who finished in the top 100 were:
 * Diana, Princess of Wales – 3
 * Elizabeth I of England – 7
 * Owain Glyndŵr – 23
 * Henry VIII of England – 40
 * Aneurin Bevan – 45
 * Henry V of England – 72
 * Richard Burton – 96
 * 14 February – at the Ogmore by-election, the Labour Party candidate Huw Irranca-Davies holds the seat held by Sir Ray Powell until his death
 * 13 March – The ferry MS Stena Europe is introduced on the Fishguard–Rosslare route.
 * April – Welsh Assembly Government concessionary travel scheme (‘Cerdyn Cymru’) entitles over-60s and registered disabled people to uniform free off-peak travel on all stage carriage bus services.
 * May – H & Claire release their debut single.
 * May 25 – Jessica Garlick represents the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Estonia.
 * June
 * Archaeologists discover the Newport ship.
 * DNA from the exhumed body of Joe Kappen proves beyond reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the murders of three teenage girls in 1973.
 * June 18 – Cowbridge businessman Peter Shaw is kidnapped while working in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is held in brutal conditions until he escapes in November.
 * June 28 – David Morris receives four life sentences for the Clydach murders of June 1999. Despite his having been a suspect days after the murder was committed, it had taken police 21 months to arrest and charge him.
 * July
 * Research reveals that Wales has the highest figures for company failures of any region of the UK.
 * Ebbw Vale Steelworks shut down.
 * August – "Barney" saves his owners' lives by warning them of a fire at their home in Wrexham.
 * August 5 – Rowan Williams is admitted to the Gorsedd of bards.
 * October – Archaeological excavations on a Bronze Age site recover the Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc, one of the earliest gold objects found in Wales.
 * October 24 – Paul Murphy is appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Arts and literature

 * Connie Fisher wins the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship in the National Eisteddfod "Songs from the Shows" competition.
 * Menna Elfyn is named Poet Laureate for the Children of Wales.

Awards

 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Myrddin ap Dafydd
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Jones Lewis
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – O! Tyn y Gorchudd – Hunangofiant Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
 * Wales Book of the Year:
 * English language: Stevie Davies, The Element of Water
 * Welsh language:
 * Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Eirug Wyn
 * John Tripp Prize for Spoken Poetry – Cliff Forshaw

English language

 * Richard J. Evans – Telling Lies About Hitler
 * Ken Follett – Hornet Flight
 * Steve Jones – Y: The Descent of Men
 * Jo Mazelis – Diving Girls
 * Jan Morris – A Writer's House in Wales
 * Steve Strange – Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
 * Rachel Trezise – In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl
 * Rowan Williams – Arius – Heresy and Tradition

Welsh language

 * Grahame Davies – Cadwyni Rhyddid
 * Angharad Price – O! Tyn y Gorchudd
 * Eirug Wyn – Bitsh

Drama

 * Dic Edwards – Franco's Bastard

Film

 * Christian Bale stars in Laurel Canyon.
 * Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter for the third time, in Red Dragon.

Welsh-language films

 * Gwyfyn.
 * Oedd yr Addewid

Music

 * 3SL – "Take it Easy" (single)
 * Carreg Lafar – Profiad (album)
 * Feeder – Comfort In Sound (album)
 * Mclusky – Mclusky Do Dallas
 * Bonnie Tyler – Heart & Soul/Heart Strings (album)

English-language television

 * Cable TV (chat show with Stuart Cable)

Welsh-language television

 * Gwyfyn

BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year

 * Mark Hughes

2002 Commonwealth Games

 * 25 July to 4 August – At the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Wales team wins a total of 33 medals: 6 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.

Cycling

 * Andrew Windsor wins the Welsh National Road Race Championships.

Football

 * John Fashanu becomes Chairman of Barry Town.
 * Barry Town are Welsh Cup winners after beating Bangor City 4–1, and win a sixth League of Wales title.
 * Winners of the three divisions in the Welsh Football League are: Ton Pentre (Division 1), Garden Village (Division 2) & Newport YMCA (Division 3).
 * Welshpool Town are champions of the Cymru Alliance.

Horse racing

 * 27 December – The Welsh National is won by Mini Sensation, ridden by Tony Dobbin.

Rugby union

 * December – Brynmawr RFC and Abertillery RFC withdraw from the Principality Cup, after the Welsh Rugby Union makes an error during the live radio draw for the fifth round.

Snooker

 * 27 January – Paul Hunter wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.
 * 3 March – Mark Williams wins the China Open tournament in Shanghai.
 * 15 December – Mark Williams wins his second UK Championship title.

Births

 * 23 February – Emilia Jones, actress, daughter of Aled Jones
 * 15 September – Medi Harris, swimmer
 * 17 December – Matt Richards, Olympic swimmer (in Worcester)
 * 22 December – Emma Finucane, cyclist

Deaths

 * 2 January
 * Ian Grist, politician, 63
 * Arthur Joseph, cricketer, 82
 * 7 January – Jon Lee, rock musician, 33
 * 12 January – Moss Evans, trade union leader, 76
 * 3 February – Edward Thomas Chapman, Victoria Cross recipient, 82
 * 22 February – David James, cricketer, 80
 * 7 March – Geoff Charles, photojournalist, 93
 * 2 March – Mary Grant Price, costume designer, 85
 * 3 March – Bill Hopkin, rugby player, 87
 * 6 March – David Jenkins, Librarian of the National Library of Wales 1969–79, 89
 * 7 May – Sir Ewart Jones, organic chemist and academic administrator, 91
 * 26 September – Willie Davies, Wales international rugby union and league player, 86
 * 6 October – Nick Whitehead, athlete, 69
 * November – Ernie Jones, footballer, 81/82
 * 3 November – Sir John Habakkuk, economic historian, 87
 * 20 November – George Guest, organist and choirmaster of St John's College, Cambridge, 78
 * December – Brian Morgan Edwards, businessman, 68
 * 10 December – Steve Llewellyn, rugby league player, 78
 * 24 December – Jake Thackray, singer-songwriter, 64
 * 31 December – Billy Morris, footballer, 84