Ennis dismayed by demolition plan

18 January 2013 Last updated at 07:16 ET

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Jessica Ennis said it would be a "huge shame" for Sheffield to lose the Don Valley Stadium

The demolition of Sheffield's Don Valley athletics stadium would be a "huge shame" for the city, Olympic champion Jessica Ennis has said.

Earlier this month the BBC revealed the stadium, where the gold-medal winner trains, could be knocked down to save Sheffield council money.

But demolishing the stadium "sends the wrong message", said Ennis.

No decisions have been made and demolition was just one of a list of money-saving options, the council said.

Sheffield Council faces making 50m of cuts in 2013-14 on top of 140m cuts already made in the last two years.

A council document seen by the BBC, showed the authority could save 500,000 per year if the Don Valley Stadium, which was opened in 1991 for the World Student Games in Sheffield at a cost of 29m, was to close.

It raised the possibility of reopening the city's smaller Woodburn Road Athletics Stadium, which was closed 18 months ago to save money.

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Ennis dismayed by demolition plan