Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell OBE is to speak at World Travel Market’s opening ceremony on November 7.
The former rower will join Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for the Olympics and Paralympics, at the event, which is themed Inspiring the World.
Cracknell will speak about what inspired him to win his two Olympic gold medals in the coxless fours, in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004.
Cracknell will also talk about his decision to retire from competitive rowing in 2006 and turn his attention to other epic adventures.
In 2009 he trekked 473 miles to the South Pole, and swam the Straits of Gibraltar with comedian David Walliams in 2008.
Last year Cracknell took part in one of the toughest foot races, the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 156-mile ultra-marathon, run in the heat of the Moroccan desert, where temperatures reach 49C.
It was shortly after this that Cracknell was almost killed in a cycling accident in the US. While competing in a contest from Los Angeles to New York, he was hit on the back of the head by a lorry’s wing mirror. He ended up in intensive care with a severe head injury and subsequently suffered memory problems.
“The opening will be a powerful means of underlining the similarities between the Olympics and, in a modest way, World Travel Market,” said chairwoman Fiona Jeffery.
“Both bring people closer together from across the world, breaking down cultural and geographical barriers, motivating and inspiring people to greater achievement.”
WTM takes place at ExCeL London on November 7-10