An inspiration on and off the athletics track, double gold Olympic medalist Dame Kelly Holmes is set to shine in Manchester as guest of honour at a star-studded gala dinner at Hotel Football. 

To be hosted on Saturday 6th February by fellow Olympian Diane Modahl on behalf of the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), Dame Kelly Holmes is to be awarded the coveted title and inducted into the City of Champions Hall of Fame. Compared by BBC Sports Presenter Dan Walker, the evening will also include an exclusive Q&A session with the inspiring sporting legend. A second Champion will join Dame Kelly on the night – exciting details of this are to be released later this year.

 

Previous recipients include the most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time Sir Chris Hoy – an eleven-time world champion and six-time Olympic champion with a total of seven Olympic medals. Premiership and England footballer Rio Ferdinand whose successes include 6 Premiership wins at Manchester United, and Mike Summerbee – the Manchester City legend who made over 400 appearances for his club. Leaders of Manchester City Council have also been past recipients including Sir Howard Bernstein, renowned for his championing of the Metrolink, the creation of Sportcity and a major hand in the redesign and rebuild of Manchester City Centre after the terrorist bombing in 1996. Finally, Sir Richard Leese, Labour politician and leader of Manchester City Council from 1996. He too had a monumental impact on Manchester following the 1996 bombing and was knighted by the Queen in 2006.

 

Dame Kelly said of her upcoming role: “I’m thrilled to be involved in this fantastic fundraising event for a charity which supports young people in the sport closest to my heart, and I’m genuinely honoured the foundation has chosen me as a Champion.

 

“Manchester is the home of so many inspiring Olympians and sporting icons, including Diane herself, and I’m looking forward to being in Manchester in February and meeting those many people who help make a difference in this wonderful city. Manchester holds a special place in my heart as it’s where I won the 1500m during the 2002 Commonwealth Games, so I return with a smile and many happy memories.”

 

City of Champions is the brainchild of Diane Modahl – once a rival of Dame Kelly over their specialist distance of 800m – who forged her own successful athletics career from her home city of Manchester. The event is a bi-annual celebration of the many great Champions from not only the sporting world, but of inspirational business people and leaders in their field who make a huge difference by inspiring lives and areas.

 

Diane is the founder and CEO of the DMSF, a registered charity set up by the former international athlete, which gives young people access to world class coaching and coaches, with the aim of creating further Champions of the future, whether they be in the arena of sport, business, culture, politics or any other. She is especially committed to working with young people and schools in disadvantaged areas.

 

Diane commented: “I’m absolutely chuffed that Dame Kelly will be inducted into the City of Champions Hall of Fame at the DMSF gala dinner. She has been a long time inspiration to me personally and I know she’s an inspiration to all our youngsters and the wider team – we’re all extremely excited to welcome her back to Manchester.

 

“Dame Kelly’s involvement in the DMSF is fantastic news for the charity as our ethos is to inspire young people in all aspects of their lives, so bringing cultural, sporting and business figures together in this way means we’ll not only raise more valuable funds, but help to reinforce that it is focus, discipline, commitment and resilience that is the winning formula to success.

 

“There will be a host of champions and sporting legends also attending who will provide more inspiring figures for DMSF participants to learn from.”

    

Tickets are now available for the dinner which will also be attended by famous faces from Manchester and beyond including soap stars, former inductees, business people and legendary sports stars. Prices start at £1000+VAT for a table of ten and single tickets are available for £125+VAT. Further information is available from: cityofchampionsdinner@journey9.com. 

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