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Video: Dame Kelly Holmes
opens the new Christ Church University Sports Centre.

by Adam Williams

Double Olympic champion
Kelly Holmes helped officially open Canterbury Christ Church
University ’s Sports Centre on Friday morning.

Dame Kelly, who raced to
gold medals in the 800m and 1,500m at the 2004 Athens Olympics,
took a tour of the £4.9 million facility and met the university’s
18 sports scholars.

The centre, in Pilgrims
Way, Canterbury, is also used by pupils at nearby Barton Court
Grammar School and has been designated a pre-Olympic training
facility for the 2012 games, specialising in basketball, badminton
and fencing.

Ms Holmes, from Pembury,
was impressed with the facilities on offer to students studying
degrees in the university’s department of sport science, tourism
and leisure.

She said: “It’s a great
facility that they have built here and it’s really good for their
18 sports scholars, who play sports across the board.

“Growing up in Kent when
I started out as an athlete, I was lucky enough to be able to use
Tonbridge Grammar School ’s running track and the playing fields
around there to train, as well as local gyms, but it’s not always
been like that.

“2012 has put sport
higher up the agenda again and that’s presented a chance for new
facilities and opportunities to open.”

See
the Kentish Gazette on Thursday for full report and
pictures.