SportsAid Cymru Wales and the athletics fraternity in Wales have paid tribute to former SACW Governor and Welsh international athlete and coach Tony Clemo, who died on 18 June 2019, aged 78, after a short illness. Around 100 mourners attended a service at Llandaff Cathedral on 15 July.
Tony was a PE student at Cardiff Training College (now Cardiff Metropolitan University) from 1961-64, a friend and contemporary of future Olympic long jump champion Lynn Davies. Tony was a good 800m runner, gaining several Welsh vests with a personal best of 1:54. He went on to become an accomplished athletics coach and was the coach to the Welsh athletics team at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games. He became secretary of the Welsh AAA coaching committee in the 1960s.
To the wider world though, his name will be forever linked to his ownership of Cardiff City Football Club. In 1980 he appointed another athletics friend, the sprint relay world record holder Ron Jones, the current Director of SACW, as Managing Director. He was also a director of the Welsh FA.
Ron said “Tony served on the SACW board for more than 10 years and always made a valuable contribution to the running of the charity. Our sincerest condolences go to Tony’s family.”
Tony also owned Red Dragon Travel in Cardiff and the well-known Cardiff nightclub Tito’s. Members of his loyal staff and BBC Wales personality Roy Noble spoke in tribute at Llandaff Cathedral, in front of his widow Lynda, family and friends.
Lynn Davies said “Welsh sport can be grateful that Tony, with his strong business sense and background chose to share that expertise with athletics and football.” Another close friend, Welsh rugby legend J.J. Williams, said “Tony was one of my first coaches and I credit him with some of my early sprinting successes.”