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| Jessica Ennis's Don Valley Stadium will close | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The Sheffield stadium where Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis trains is to be closed. | |
| The demolition of the Don Valley Stadium, which cost £29m, is part of cost-saving measures approved by the city council. | |
| The authority said the £700,000 it spent on the arena in 2012-13 was unsustainable as the stadium was running at a loss. | |
| Ennis said the loss of Don Valley was a "huge shame" for Sheffield. | |
| Before the decision was taken, sports minister Hugh Robertson, said he hoped the stadium would not close. | |
| 'Financial disaster' | |
| He said: "That stadium is extraordinarily emblematic and the fact that Jess Ennis was such a crucial figure last summer only adds to that. | |
| "It means a lot to Sheffield, which is one of this country's great sporting cities and I really hope the council recognise that and do everything possible to keep it open." | |
| During a heated debate about the cost-saving budget and the proposed closure of the Don Valley stadium, Liberal Democrat councillor Simon Clement-Jones said the World Student Games, which were hosted at the stadium in 1991, was "one of the biggest financial disasters Sheffield has seen". | |
| As the five-hour-long meeting progressed, questions about where Jess Ennis trained were raised. | |
| Her coach, Tony Minichiello, said the athlete used Don Valley "at least twice a week for outdoor training". | |
| The athlete is a member of Sheffield Athletics Club, whose members train at the stadium. | The athlete is a member of Sheffield Athletics Club, whose members train at the stadium. |
| 'Massive disappointment' | |
| She said the venue held "great memories" as it was where she started her athletic career. | She said the venue held "great memories" as it was where she started her athletic career. |
| "It's a huge shame. To see it demolished would be a massive, massive disappointment," she said. | "It's a huge shame. To see it demolished would be a massive, massive disappointment," she said. |
| "We've achieved so much as a country in the London Olympics, so to lose some great facilities sends out the wrong message, really. | "We've achieved so much as a country in the London Olympics, so to lose some great facilities sends out the wrong message, really. |
| "I understand budgets and costs, but I think we need to find a way to keep it." | "I understand budgets and costs, but I think we need to find a way to keep it." |
| The plan will see Don Valley Stadium close and the smaller Woodburn Road Athletics Stadium refurbished and reopened. | |
| Sheffield City Council is making £50m of cuts in 2013-14 on top of £140m cuts already made in the past two years. | |
| The authority said it understood nobody wanted to see the stadium close but it could not afford to continue subsidising it. | The authority said it understood nobody wanted to see the stadium close but it could not afford to continue subsidising it. |
| Ennis's coach, Toni Minichiello, told BBC Radio 5 live that he believed the closure would happen. | Ennis's coach, Toni Minichiello, told BBC Radio 5 live that he believed the closure would happen. |
| He said: "It means athletics in Sheffield won't have a 400m track to train on." | |