Civic reception is a golden occasion for Olympians and Paralympians

The event was organised to recognise the inspirational achievements of competitors from the city and the rest of West Yorkshire on the global sporting stage in Paris earlier this year.

Guests at the reception – held in the banqueting suite at Leeds Civic Hall – included athletes Hannah Cockroft, Guillaume Junior Atangana and Donard Ndim Nyamjua, gymnasts Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse and divers Lois Toulson, Jack Laugher, Anthony Harding and Yona Knight-Wisdom.

They gave the 100-strong invited audience some intriguing insights into their Games experiences during a series of interviews with sports commentator and former international gymnast Lisa Gannon.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, had earlier welcomed attendees to the event, organised by Leeds City Council with support from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Other speakers included Ed Anderson (HM Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire), Councillor Salma Arif (Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture), Mariana Pexton (interim chief executive of Leeds City Council) and Alison Lowe (West Yorkshire's Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime).

Together they congratulated the assembled Olympians and Paralympians on their achievements and thanked them for further enhancing West Yorkshire’s status as a powerhouse of sporting talent and ambition.

There was recognition, too, for the crucial part played by coaches, volunteers and other unsung heroes in delivering the kind of world-class performances seen in Paris.

Stewart Ross, chair of Triathlon Leeds, Dave Murray, director of performance at Leeds Gymnastics Club, and Marc Holdsworth, head coach at City of Leeds Diving Club, were among those sharing the spotlight with the competitors.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said:

“Leeds, and indeed West Yorkshire as a whole, is hugely passionate about sport and that was reflected in the excitement generated earlier this year by the Olympics and the Paralympics.

“As a city and a county, we have a superb range of sports facilities and an excellent record of staging high-profile sporting events. Add in the natural talent and determination that is in Yorkshire’s DNA and it’s no wonder that we keep producing sportsmen and sportswomen who are at the very top of their respective games.”

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, said:

“I was pleased and proud to have the opportunity to welcome so many of our Olympians and Paralympians to Leeds Civic Hall for this well-deserved celebration of their achievements.

“Their stories gave us a real flavour of what it’s like to compete at the highest level of sport, with all the rewards and challenges that can bring. It was also great to hear about the dedicated work that is done by coaches and volunteers with our athletes – from grassroots to elite – as they help them realise their sporting dreams. Thank you for making us all so proud.”

Alison Lowe, West Yorkshire's Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said:

“West Yorkshire’s sporting legends did us proud in Paris, and inspired young people right across our communities. Every child deserves the chance to follow in their footsteps and go for gold. That’s why we're planning to create more opportunities for people in West Yorkshire to get involved in sport.”

Leeds’s impressive range of sporting facilities includes Beeston’s John Charles Centre for Sport, the Leeds Gymnastics Club set-up in Seacroft and the Bodington Playing Fields-based Brownlee Centre – the UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training site.

The list of major sporting events held in the city in recent years, meanwhile, includes the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon and the AJ Bell World Triathlon Championship Series as well as a number of fixtures at 2022’s Rugby League World Cup.

Local competitors have also enjoyed notable recent success at some of the world’s biggest sporting occasions, with Yorkshire famously outperforming countries such as Jamaica, Spain and Brazil with its haul of seven gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the London 2012 Olympics.

Last night’s event came just over a month after the end of the 2024 competitions in Paris, with the date being picked to fit in as best as possible with the busy diaries of West Yorkshire’s various Olympians and Paralympians.

Hannah Cockroft was joined at Leeds Civic Hall by her husband and fellow Paralympian, Salford-born Nathan Maguire, fresh from their wedding on Saturday.

ENDS