Adam Pengilly, a member of the International Olympic Committee and former Skeleton competitor, will receive an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham on Thursday 6th December 2012 at 4.30pm.

Adam graduated from the University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences in 2000. He went on to coach the women’s GB bobsleigh team in 2002 and then competed in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic’s Skeleton event, a fast winter sport where the competitor rides a small sled, face down on a frozen track, experiencing speeds of up to 5G. He was also a silver medallist in the World Championships in 2009.

He will be a member of the International Olympic Committee until 2018 where he is one of two elected athletes on the Athletes Commission who see that the needs and interests of the competitors are considered when organizing the Olympic Games.

Adam said: ‘I was surprised but delighted to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham. I spent three special years at this exciting and forward thinking university, and feel privileged to be recognized in this way from such a well regarded institution.’

Notes to editors

1. Adam Pengilly will receive a Doctor of the University (DUniv)
2. The honorary graduand is available in the fifteen minutes prior to the degree congregation for photography. Please call the press office for accreditation.

For further information
Kate Chapple, Press Officer, University of Birmingham, tel 0121 414 2772 or 07789 921164.