Sprint legend John Regis MBE and 19 year old British long jump champion Greg Rutherford have become the UK's first Athlete Ambassadors for Right To Play.

Athlete Ambassadors play a key role in helping to raise awareness of Sport for Development and funding for Right To Play projects.

John Regis is the UK200m record holder and is the only Briton ever to complete the distance in less than 20 seconds. In an international career spanning 14 years, John won medals at every major championship, including the 4x400m title at the World championships in Tokyo in 1991.

Greg Rutherford is one of the best athletic prospects for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. At 19 he is already the highest ranked British long jumper, securing silver in last summer's European Championships in Gothernburg.

The two athletics stars travelled to Sierra Leone recently to see how sport and play is making a difference in the lives of thousands of local children.

John and Greg took part in Right To Play games at a play day in Freetown, and on school visits in Freetown and Makeni. They learnt how Right To Play has trained almost 300 coaches in the country who regularly reach over 7,000 children.

'It was a real eye opener to travel to Sierra Leone and see how sport can play such an important role in helping people out of poverty,' says Greg.

'The coaches perform a terrific role in raising the sights of the children,' adds John. 'There is so much enthusiasm from the children which is quite remarkable considering the recent turmoil in the country.'

If you would like to see some pictures from the recent visit to Sierra Leone, just click on the link below:

Sierra Leone 2006