“I warmly welcome the announcement that Tim Hollingsworth has been appointed Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association (BPA). Having secured the first £1 million to establish the BPA when Minister for Sport twenty years ago, the organisation has been of special importance to me. I welcome the way in which it has subsequently gone from strength to strength. Tim will bring significant expertise to the next stage of the BPA’s development. When the Board of the BOA decided to co-locate the BPA with the BOA in our London offices we took a major step forward in the interests of the Paralympic Movement. The Paralympic Games next year look set to be the best ever. We will continue to cooperate closely with Tim, his team and the Paralympic athletes in the years ahead. “