THE man who delivered this year’s British Transplant Games in Newport is set to speak at the next meeting of the City of Newport Business Club on Thursday, September 26.

Yuri Matischen is the managing director of sports and events company MLS Contracts, which, working in partnership with the charity Transplant Sport, has delivered the annual British Transplant Games for the past 11 years. Over that time the event has more than doubled in size and impact.

The games were hosted by Newport this summer and attracted thousands of people to the inspirational event.

MLS also worked with the cities of Newcastle and Gateshead in staging the 2019 World Transplant Games last month.

As a company, MLS have staged some 30 world, European and international sporting events including rowing, canoeing, basketball, boxing, fencing, swimming and several disability and Paralympic sports events, such as boccia, table-tennis, goalball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball.

At a mass participation level, they stage the annual Chesterfield Half-marathon, Mud Madness, and multiple 5k fun runs across the country on behalf of the sports retailer Decathlon.

Yuri's personal career highlight was being a live match commentator for the women’s Olympic volleyball final and the men’s and women’s Paralympic finals at London 2012.

Founder and presently chairman of the DBL Sharks Sheffield professional basketball franchise, Yuri has been a long-standing director of the British Basketball League and has helped build the Sharks into a major force for education, skills and enterprise within the region.

Tickets to the event are £20 including a two-course meal. It starts at 5.30pm at the Celtic Manor Resort Golf Club.

For tickets and information about the City of Newport Business Club go to newportbusinessclub.co.uk.