Peter Smith MBE is the former Manager of the Leeds Sports Development Team at Leeds City Council and the operational lead behind many of the city’s most significant sporting events and facility developments. He played a key role in delivering the Leeds element of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games including securing over 300 athletes and officials from the Chinese Olympic Team to train in Leeds. Peter also coordinated work on the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ in Yorkshire, and the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015, helping to strengthen the city’s reputation as a major sporting destination. Additionally, he led the delivery of the Aquatics Centre and several of the other sports facilities at the John Charles Centre for Sport.
Peter graduated in 1975 with a BEd (Hons) in Physical Education from the Carnegie School of Physical Education before working as a PE Teacher in Leeds and the Middle East. He later joined Leeds City Council as a facility manager before progressing to become Manager of the Leeds Sports Development Team. He served on the Board of the National Association for Sport Development (NASD) and supported the integration of NASD into the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). Following retirement, Peter became Chair of Sport Leeds and served as a Board member of West Yorkshire Sport continuing his commitment to sport across the region. Peter was appointed with an MBE for services to sports development in Leeds and the Tour de France Grand Départ in the 2015.
In 2015 Peter was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Sport Development in Leeds and the Tour de France Grand Départ. Peter also received an Honorary Doctorate of Sport Science from Leeds Beckett University in 2016.
1975
2026
