The British Olympic Association (BOA) has today announced Mark England OBE as Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
England successfully managed Team GB as Chef de Mission at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where the team finished second to Team USA in the medal table collecting gold medals across a greater range of sports than any other nation.
Awarded the OBE for his services to Olympic sport in 2016, Mark oversaw the 366-strong athlete delegation in Brazil with Team GB becoming the first nation to win more medals at the Games immediately after hosting a home Games.
England said: “I am incredibly honoured and proud to once again be asked to be Chef de Mission for Team GB, and I look forward to working with our National Governing Bodies to ensure that every athlete that qualifies onto Team GB has the opportunity to achieve their best performance in Tokyo in two years’ time.”
BOA Chairman, Sir Hugh Robertson, said: “We are delighted to confirm this appointment so soon after completing our most successful Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.
“Tokyo will be a more competitive Games in many ways and it makes sense to capitalise on Mark’s experience and knowledge to create the best possible environment for the athletes.”
CEO Bill Sweeney, added: “Mark’s re-appointment as Chef de Mission maintains an important continuity for Team GB and allows planning to continue with absolute certainty, following the same format we have successfully followed with Mike Hay during the Olympic Winter Games.
“Mark’s experience and insight, coupled with the trusting relationships he has built across the Olympic sport sector, means we will go into Tokyo as well prepared as we have ever been. We have already signed a number of key strategic partnerships including our pre-Games training facilities in Japan.
“The focus of the organisation is now on Tokyo 2020, for what we think will be a demanding but equally rewarding Olympic Games.
The BOA has also appointed its Chefs de Mission for the upcoming European Games and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
Paul Ford MBE will be Chef de Mission for Minsk 2019, the second edition of the European Games, the first having been held in Baku in 2015.
Mahdi Choudhury will lead a team of young British athletes – aged between 15-18 – to the Buenos Aires 2018 YOG.
This edition of the YOG will be notable for the fact that the International Olympic Committee approved equal athlete quotas for the first time in Olympic history, achieving gender equality on the sports programme with 1,999 women and 1,999 men set to compete in October.
Ford said: “The European Games is a developing event that we are proud to be part of, and I am delighted to have been named as Chef de Mission. As ever we will be focussed entirely on making the experience in Minsk the very best it can be for the athletes.”
Choudhury said: “The Youth Olympic Games has traditionally been a great development opportunity for young athletes, and we hope to ensure a new generation of athletes have the chance to experience the unique environment of an Olympic Village and the intensity of the sports programme.”
Sportsbeat 2018