Dame Kelly Holmes with youngsters at the athletics finals of the Kent Schools Games in 2008

Kent will stage Europe’s largest school sports event and double Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes will be on hand to launch it next month.

The 2010 Kent School Games is being organised by Kent County Council and will involve 545 schools.

The Games will give more than 30,000 young people, aged five to 16 the chance to compete in 38 different sports, including disability sports, with local heats running from October and culminating in a series of finals events in July 2010.

Holmes will attend Hayesbrook Sports College, Bower Grove School and Allington Primary School on Thursday, October 1 and will join around 900 young people to help launch the event.

Holmes said: “I am delighted to be part of the launch and best of luck to all those competing.”