Commonwealth Games England have today announced that Denise Lewis OBE will extend her tenure as the president of Commonwealth Games England to encompass the Victoria 2026 Games.

Lewis joined the Commonwealth Games England board in 2016 having taken over the role from its previous incumbent, Dame Kelly Holmes. She has since used her vast influence and experience at the highest level of sport to inspire the next generation of athletes. 

A keen advocate of the role that the Commonwealth Games plays in any athlete’s career path, she won two Commonwealth gold medals at the 1994 Victoria and 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games before going on to win gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. As well as acting as a key ambassador for the Games and Team England across the Victoria 2026 cycle, her role entails leadership and organisational guidance drawn from her broad sporting background.

Lewis commented “Everyone knows that the Commonwealth Games provided me with some of my proudest career moments, and it’s an honour to hold the role of President of Commonwealth Games England. We saw the power of the Games at Birmingham this year, and the future is incredibly bright for the next generation of Team England athletes. I can’t wait to share that journey to Victoria 2026 with them.”

John Steele OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games England, added: “We are proud to have Denise continue as our president. She played such a significant and impactful part in the Birmingham Games last summer and her insight, expertise and passion for sport is a huge asset to Commonwealth Games England and our athletes.”

Lewis began her athletics career with Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham and her career trajectory is well documented. Having been awarded an OBE, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall Of Fame in 2011 and is regarded as one of England’s greatest-ever sportswomen.