THE Rio at the Reebok festival is hotting up -- with sports stars of Bolton getting behind the good cause.

Tickets for the Rio carnival ball on Saturday are selling rapidly with all proceeds going to Bolton Busting Breast Cancer Campaign.

The event -- hosted by Bolton Wanderers' boss Sam Allardyce and his wife Lynn -- has won the support of assistant manager Phil Brown and players Dean Holdsworth and Paul Warhurst who will all be at the prestigious affair. Bolton Arena-based tennis ace Barry Cowan -- who took Pete Sampras to a five-set thriller at Wimbledon 2001 -- has also stepped in to help make the night a success by offering a smashing auction prize.

The British Davis Cup team member will play a game of tennis with the highest bidder.

The ball will also be attended by Bolton's Mayor and Mayoress, Kevan Helsby and Alice Kilcoyne, and Professor Malcolm Stevens, a world renowned cancer scientist, and his wife, who are both former Bolton School pupils.

Rio at the Reebok starts at 7.30pm and guests will have a chance to learn how to salsa dance Rio-style and be entertained by Foo Foo Lamar.

The dress code is black tie or optional carnival attire. Tickets are priced £50.

For more information or to book tickets, contact Christine Blease at The Cancer Research Campaign, phone 0161 772 5563 or e-mail cblease@crc.org.uk