Dame Katherine Grainger has officially started her role as UK Sport Chair for a term of four years having formally taken up the position on 1 July 2017.
The former rower is Britain’s most decorated female Olympic athlete and the first British woman to win medals at five successive Olympic Games, including a memorable gold medal at London 2012.
Dame Katherine was formally appointed as UK Sport Chair in April by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley, with the approval of the Prime Minister.
She takes over the role from previous Chair Rod Carr, who stepped down from the position in April 2017 after coming to the end of his term.
Dame Katherine Grainger said: "I am delighted to officially begin my new role as UK Sport Chair. I am very honoured to be joining the team and I hope to build on the commitment to excellence I enjoyed as an athlete. Of course there are currently challenges facing sport but I feel I can play an important role in addressing these while helping ensure success thanks to the support and investment of the National Lottery and Government. This is a very exciting time for me and I look forward to getting out there to meet all the sports and partners in my new capacity in the near future.”
Dame Katherine is the fifth Chair of UK Sport and follows in the footsteps of Lord Ian MacLaurin, Sir Rodney Walker, Baroness Sue Campbell and Rod Carr CBE.
Dame Katherine begins her role just days after she was awarded rowing’s most prestigious prize, the Thomas Keller Medal, for an Outstanding Career in Rowing.