The British Olympic Association (BOA) is delighted to announce that the 2011 BT British Olympic Ball, which took place last Friday (7th October) at Kensington Olympia, has raised well over £700,000 for Team GB, far exceeding the fundraising target for the event.
The star studded, sell out evening saw more than 2,000 guests from the world of sport and entertainment rubbing shoulders with Olympic legends and Team GB hopefuls in Olympia’s stunning Grand Hall. In total, the winners of over 140 Olympic medals, including more than 80 gold medals, were present in the room, making it a truly unique and special celebration of British Olympic success.
Among those to walk the glittering gold carpet were three-times cycling Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins, 400m hurdles World Champion Dai Greene, triathlon world number one and two Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Olympic rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave and a host of celebrities including Downtown Abbey’s Dan Stevens, former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, model Nell McAndrew and singer Katie Melua.
HRH Princess Anne was guest of honour on the evening. An Olympian herself, the Princess Royal delivered a speech calling on the entire nation to unite in support of the greatest team Great Britain and Northern Ireland will ever have sent to an Olympic Games.
As part of the evening’s entertainment guests were treated to performances by the legendary Sir Tom Jones and current rap sensation Tinchy Stryder. The exquisite menu was devised by Michelin starred Executive Chef Tom Aikens.
Hosted by Stephen Fry and Miranda Hart, the evening allowed guests the unique opportunity to bid on once in a lifetime London 2012 hospitality packages donated by Prestige Ticketing, including the chance to watch the finals sessions for track cycling in the Velodrome, swimming in the Aquatics Centre and perhaps the most coveted seats of all: the men’s 100m final.
Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission and BOA CEO said:
“The 2011 BT British Olympic Ball was bigger and better than ever and we are delighted with the tremendous level of support expressed for Team GB from the 2,200 guests in attendance. Raising nearly three-quarters of a million pounds from this event is a fantastic outcome for Team GB and we are really grateful to everyone who supported and participated in the event.
“It was an outstanding evening of high quality music and entertainment and it was inspiring to see over one hundred of our greatest Olympians, spanning five decades of British Olympic success, alongside many of the current athletes who will represent Team GB as part of Our Greatest Team at the London 2012 Games.
“It was a truly memorable occasion and, crucially, the excellent level of funds raised will help the British Olympic Association to provide Team GB with the high performance support and expertise necessary to achieve our aspiration of winning more medals from more sports at London 2012.”
Ben Ainslie, triple Olympic gold medallist and Athlete Co-Chair for the BT British Olympic Ball, said:
“I was delighted at how successful this year’s event was. To see more than 2,000 people coming out to support what will be our greatest ever Team GB was inspiring for myself and all the other athletes who attended.
“London 2012 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the BOA’s aspiration for Team GB to win more medals from more sports than we have done in over a century is an ambitious one. The funds raised at the Ball will help in achieving these goals.”
Olympic Gold medallist, Sally Gunnell, added:
“This year’s BT British Olympic Ball was an outstanding success and an inspirational evening for all the athletes who attended. As a former member of Team GB, I understand how important it is that we give our athletes every chance of success next summer, the funds raised at the Ball will help to ensure that everything is in place to allow them to perform to the highest possible standard.”
Suzi Williams, director, BT Group Marketing & Brand, said: “We’re proud to have helped make the 2011 BT British Olympic Ball the best yet. It was a fantastic event and the money raised will help Team GB give their best performance next summer. And we’re delighted that it doesn’t stop there - we look forwards to supporting an even better celebration after the Games next year.”
Peter Mather, BP’s Head of Country UK, said: “In addition to the fantastic sums raised at the ball, BP Target Neutral offset the entire travel carbon footprint of the ball as part of BP’s commitment to help make London 2012 the most sustainable Games possible. The BOA is joining Target Neutral and spectators from around the world in setting a new world record for the most number of journeys offset to a single event – London 2012. We’re proud to be supporting the BOA and Team GB, at the ball and beyond, as they aim for success at the Games”
Richard Hudson, Marketing Director, BMW UK, said:
“We’re delighted to continue our support of Team GB as a partner of this year’s hugely successful BT British Olympic Ball. Our proud support of over 100 athletes in the BMW London 2012 Performance Team and our continued commitment to the BOA will enable Team GB to deliver the ultimate performance at London 2012.”