Manchester is set to welcome thirty champions in sport, education and business for a star-studded event in the city.
The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation will host its fourth bi-annual City of Champions fundraiser in partnership with Manchester City Council. The City of Champions Gala Dinner will be held at the Midland Hotel on 1st November 2018 at 7pm.
The Gala Dinner is a celebration of the success of thirty champions in sport, education and business who have close ties to Manchester and have given back to the city to support the next generation. Three individuals will also be inducted into the City of Champions Hall of Fame.
Previous inductees include retired British athlete, Dame Kelly Holmes, England Netball Head Coach, Tracey Neville MBE, eleven-times a world champion and six-times an Olympic champion track cyclist, Sir Chris Hoy, former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand and former Manchester City footballer, Mike Summerbee.
Rio Ferdinand commented on the honour:
“It’s an honour to be recognised by the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation, an organisation with which I share so many values.
“I’ve always strived to put something back into the community and it’s fantastic to see athletes like Diane doing the same.
“I was thrilled to have been chosen as a recipient of this year’s City of Champions award and to have my efforts in the city recognised.”
The aim of the event is to raise money for The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation, a registered charity that champions young people from disadvantaged areas across the North West, enabling them to make the most of themselves in sport, education and employability.
Founder, Diane Modahl MBE is one of Britain’s most accomplished middle distance runners. She won a Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal in Commonwealth Games, while she also represented Britain in an impressive four Olympic Games. After retiring from athletics, Diane and her husband Olympic coach Vicente Modahl, established DMSF, a registered charity, to help those most in need.
BBC Broadcaster, Will Perry, is set to host the event. Perry is a sports broadcaster with over 17 years experience in the industry. He is currently working for the BBC, The Premier League and Eurosport and he was part of the Sony Award Winning London 2012 Olympics coverage on 5 Live. He also covered the Winter Olympics at Sochi 2014 and presented for Eurosport at PyeongChang 2018
Perry joined BBC Radio 5 Live in 2009 working on programmes with Victoria Derbyshire, Gabby Logan, Nicky Campbell and Richard Bacon.
Perry states: “I’m extremely proud to be hosting The City of Champions Gala Dinner.
“The event is a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate those who have achieved great success in their chosen field and have given back to the wonderful city of Manchester.
“It’s so important to recognise their support of the next generation of champions who are coming through.”
