UK Sport has announced several key appointments to its Performance Directorate to maximise support for sports on the road to Rio.
Following a series of workshops with Olympic and Paralympic sports in 2013, where the critical factors to working in partnership to deliver a stronger, more sustainable high performance system were explored, one of the key areas of feedback from sports was to ensure support from UK Sport’s Performance Advisors to sport was optimised, ensuring this crucial interface between UK Sport and funded sports works as well as it can.
In order to ensure sports are best supported in this fundamental area of work UK Sport has restructured to introduce even more support into the Performance Advisor team.
With Paul Buxton, current Head of the Performance Advisor team, moving into the new position of Head of Performance Investment & Policy, Michael Bourne, Head of Science and Medicine at the England & Wales Cricket Board, has been recruited into the position along with three further appointments as Senior Performance Advisors .
Michele Hammond, a long-time member of the Performance Advisor team, and lead on Paralympic sports, will bring her considerable expertise and knowledge of the Paralympic world to the role of Senior Performance Advisor for Paralympic Sports.
Kate Green, a personal development practitioner and executive coach with over nine years of experience working at the highest international level of professional sport, will join in October.
In November Biz Price, former Performance Director and Head Coach for GB Synchronised Swimming, a hugely respected figure within British Olympic sport, will be joining as the third Senior Performance Advisor in the team.
Director of Performance Simon Timson said: “I’m delighted with the appointments we have made and the wealth of experience, expertise and resource we have been able to add to our Performance Advisor team.
“I’d like to thank those external partners and colleagues who assisted with putting all our interviewees through a rigorous recruitment process. It has given us real confidence and excitement about the blend of skills and expertise backing our sports on the road to Rio.”