The conference, which is due to take place from July 13 to 16, will bring together university staff and elected officers who manage sport and physical activity opportunities across 150 higher education institutions in Britain.

Holmes said: "I’m delighted to be speaking at this year’s BUCS Conference.

“Higher education sport has a vital role to play in encouraging people of all abilities to participate as well as nurturing the nation’s elite sports men and women of the future."

Holmes is one of Britain’s most successful individual Paralympic swimmers ever having won nine gold medals across three Games and broken an astonishing 35 world records.

Despite losing his sight overnight at just 14-years-old, Holmes gained top grades at A-level to earn a place at Cambridge University to read politics.

While still at Cambridge, Holmes won six gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Games, a feat never equalled by any Briton.

Following the Barcelona Paralympics, Homes was awarded an MBE, served on the board of UK Sport and the Disability Rights Commission before practicing at a leading city law firm.

Holmes joined London in August 2009 where is now responsible for the delivery of the Paralympic strategy across LOCOG thus ensuring all the planning and delivery for the Games is firmly imbedded in the appropriate functional areas across the business.

He said: "On a personal level, I know how important it is to get the right relationship between higher education and sport because I was studying at university when I won six gold medals at Barcelona 1992.

"Although moving higher education sport forward is all the more challenging in a difficult economic climate, the opportunity remains.

"I hope the events and discussions on delivering more for less will enable and inspire many more student athletes to fulfil their undoubted potential in the build up to London 2012 and beyond."

Holmes will be speaking on Tuesday 13 July at 2.30pm.
 
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