Dame Kelly opens new sports centre; UNIVERSITY: Olympic gold medallist will unveil research facility today.Byline: By Tony Collins DOUBLE Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE (born April 19, 1970) is a retired British middle-distance athlete. She won gold medals in the 800 metres and the 1500 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics. will be spearheading the next step in sport research and science by officially opening a new pounds 16.4 million centre. The gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize winner will be at the University of Birmingham Due to Birmingham's role as a centre of light engineering, the university traditionally had a special focus on science, engineering and commerce, as well as coal mining. It now teaches a full range of academic subjects and has five-star rating for teaching and research in several in Edgbaston today to unveil its new School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. The new building is the largest purpose-built sport and exercise science centre in the UK, featuring state-of-the art facilities for teaching and research. Current projects include research tackling psychological barriers to exercise, optimising nutrition and training interventions to improve performance of athletes, and the chemical processes that influence diabetes and obesity. Head of school, Prof Doug Carroll, said: "Birmingham was the first university to offer a degree in sport and exercise sciences that extended beyond the boundaries of physical education. "Today, the impact of our research goes well beyond the performance, health and confidence of athletes to benefit the general public. "We continue to push the boundaries with major research projects looking at obesity and diabetes, sports nutrition and performance in elite athletes." The official opening will follow a day-long conference focusing on the role that physical inactivity physical inactivity A sedentary state. Cf Physical activity. plays in the growing global obesity epidemic. Prof Asker Jeukendrup, director of the School's human performance laboratory, said: "Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, with more than one billion adults overweight and at least 300 million of them clinically obese." He added: "Physical inactivity and poor diet will soon take over from smoking to become the number one killer." CAPTION(S): CHAMPION... Kelly Holmes will be at Birmingham University for the opening ceremony. |
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