Olympic champion Jonathan Brownlee MBE begins a new chapter at the 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala

Three-time Olympic medallist and world champion Jonathan Brownlee MBE will join an extraordinary gathering of sporting greats at the 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala in London this November, just weeks after bringing the curtain down on one of triathlon’s most celebrated careers.

Taking place at The Peninsula London on Friday 20 November, the 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala arrives at a defining moment for Brownlee.

After almost two decades competing at the highest level, the 36-year-old recently announced his retirement from professional triathlon, closing a remarkable chapter that saw him become one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport.

But if one chapter has ended, another is only beginning.

Brownlee has made clear that retirement from professional racing does not mean retirement from sport. His attention now turns towards new challenges, his family and continuing to give back to the sport that shaped his life, including inspiring more young people to discover what being active can bring.

It makes his appearance at the Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala particularly fitting: a celebration not only of what sport’s greatest champions have achieved, but of what they can do with the platform those achievements have created.

Brownlee leaves professional triathlon with something no male triathlete before him had achieved: an Olympic medal of every colour.

He claimed bronze on home soil at London 2012, upgraded to silver at Rio 2016 and completed the set at Tokyo 2020, winning gold as part of Great Britain’s victorious mixed relay team in the event’s Olympic debut.

His achievements stretch far beyond the Olympic Games. Brownlee was crowned elite World Triathlon Champion in 2012, won back-to-back World Sprint Triathlon Championship titles in 2010 and 2011 and spent more than a decade racing at the very front of World Triathlon.

Alongside his brother Alistair, he also became part of one of British sport’s most recognisable sibling stories, with the pair helping take triathlon into the mainstream and inspiring a generation to swim, bike and run.

Now, following his retirement from professional competition, Brownlee has an opportunity to shape the sport in a different way.

That work has, in many ways, already begun.

Jonny and Alistair established the Brownlee Foundation following the London 2012 Olympic Games, determined to use their growing profile to introduce more children to sport and physical activity.

Just under 100,000 children have since taken part in a Brownlee Foundation event, giving young people from a wide range of backgrounds the opportunity to experience swimming, cycling, running and triathlon in an accessible and positive environment.

The Foundation’s relationship with the Pho3nix Foundation has further extended that impact.

Since joining forces in 2022, Pho3nix Kids by Brownlee Foundation has provided free, inclusive and non-competitive opportunities for primary school children to experience triathlon, with a focus on making movement fun and creating a positive first connection with sport.

For Brownlee, that impact represents an important part of what comes next.

His professional racing career may be complete, but his ability to influence the future of sport – and the young people who may one day find their own place within it, remains as powerful as ever.

Jonny Brownlee said: “Triathlon has been such a huge part of my life and has given me opportunities I could never have imagined when I first started the sport as a kid. I’m incredibly proud of what I achieved as an athlete, but I’m equally proud of what we’ve been able to create through the Brownlee Foundation and our work with Pho3nix.

“Seeing children cross a finish line, collect a medal and realise that sport can be something for them is incredibly rewarding. Nearly 100,000 young people have now taken part in a Brownlee Foundation event, and I want that number to keep growing.

“Retiring from professional racing gives me the chance to look at what comes next, but sport will always be a huge part of my life. I’m excited to keep giving back, to help more young people experience it and to be part of the Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Gala in November.”

One extraordinary night, some of sport’s biggest names

The Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala is the Pho3nix Foundation’s flagship annual fundraising event, supporting programmes that give children and young people greater access to sport and physical activity.

Brownlee will join a remarkable collection of champions at The Peninsula London, including six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, Britain’s most successful female Olympian Dame Laura Kenny, three-time Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty, two-time Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington OBE, Rugby World Cup-winning England captain Lawrence Dallaglio, double Olympic triathlon champion and brother Alistair Brownlee and former England cricket captain Sir Alastair Cook.

Also joining the evening will be Britain’s celebrated Super Saturday trio – Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford, who claimed three unforgettable Olympic gold medals for Great Britain within 44 minutes at London 2012.

For Jonny and Alistair, the evening will also represent something special. More than a decade after standing together on the Olympic podium in London, the brothers will reunite in the capital as part of an event focused not on their own sporting achievements, but on helping create opportunities for the generations coming behind them.

From Olympic champions and world champions to some of the most recognisable figures in global sport, the Gala will harness the collective power of sporting success for a shared purpose: giving more children the opportunity to move, participate and discover what sport can bring to their lives.

Guests attending the Gala will enjoy an exclusive live auction featuring extraordinary sporting experiences and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, while supporters around the world will also have the opportunity to participate through an online auction.

Individuals, brands and organisations wishing to contribute auction items or experiences are invited to support the Pho3nix Foundation’s fundraising efforts and help create more opportunities for children and young people through sport.

Attend the 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala

Table packages for the 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala are now available. Guests can register their interest via the Gala enquiry form and receive updates from the Pho3nix Concierge team as further details are announced.

For Gala enquiries, table packages, expressions of interest or information about contributing to the auction, please visit the Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala website.