Among the guests attending will be Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

 

He will be joined at the dinner organised jointly by the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the London Marathon by the Princess Royal, a member of the IOC, double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, and the leaders of over 20 National Olympic Committees whose countries were represented in 1908.

 

BOA chairman Colin Moynihan said: “The BOA had been in existence for just one year when the IOC asked it to take over the hosting of the Games from Italy, following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

 

"The challenge faced by Lord Desborough and his team was immense, but the way they set about organising and delivering the Games was to establish the organisation as an important voice within the Olympic movement.

 

Simon Clegg, the BOA’s chief executive, said: “To be able to hold a Centenary Dinner within Windsor Castle, which played such a significant part in the history of the 1908 Games, provides us with the perfect backdrop for this.

 

“As we look forward to the 2012 London Games and the opportunity this brings to welcome the world’s finest athletes to our country we should also celebrate the role we have played in helping to support and develop the Olympic movement in the past 100 years.”