It's just 100 days to go until the Tbilisi 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF 2015), and Team GB are pleased to announce Olympic modern pentathlon silver medallist Heather Fell its Chef de Mission.
Fell will lead Team GB’s delegation at the 13th summer edition of the Festival from July 26th to August 1st this year.
In total, nine sports make up the programme for Tbilisi 2015 with the Georgian capital welcoming 46 European nations to compete across the six days of action.
The majority of the venues are located in the heart of the city as well as the neighbouring town of Vake-Saburtalo. Team GB will be represented in five sports; cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming and tennis.
“It’s a tremendous honour to have been named as Team GB’s Chef de Mission for Tbilisi 2015. Having the chance to represent Team GB again is so special and to do it this time in a different role is a real privilege," said Fell.
“The athletes that will head out to Tbilisi as part of Team GB have an incredible opportunity and one that I wished I had when I was young. The atmosphere at these Festivals is very similar to an Olympic Games and I’m sure it will be a great learning curve for those involved.
“The opportunity to wear the Olympic Rings and compete abroad in a multi-sport event is a very special one and will be a landmark moment in the career of the young athletes.”
Brought up in Devon, Fell rode horses and swam competitively from a young age before being taught to shoot by the parents of Sydney 2000 bronze medallist Kate Allenby.
By 2007 she was a European champion and followed that up with silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, becoming only the fourth British woman to win an Olympic modern pentathlon medal.
At the end of that year Fell was ranked number one in the world and went on to win silver at the 2009 European Championships. She was also a silver medallist at the 2011 and 2012 World Cups and won team gold at the 2012 World Championships.
Fell has also been part of the BOA’s Athlete’s Commission since January 2013, helping to advise on all things Team GB on behalf of the athletes.