The British Olympic Association (BOA) has assembled another layer of its go-to team to lead the nation’s athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Paul Ford, Georgina Harland and Mike Hay will all serve as Deputy Chefs de Mission in Tokyo. They will work with Mark England, the already-announced Chef de Mission.
Ford will specifically take on performance services in Tokyo, including the preparation camp and overall Games operations. Harland will be responsible for the apparel/gear operations (‘kitting out’), while Hay will also be involved in accommodation, kit and accreditation operational areas.
For Ford, who will also serve as Chef de Mission for Team GB for this summer’s European Games, he said, “I feel privileged to have been selected as Deputy Chef de Mission for performance services for Tokyo 2020. Our plans and preparations are well underway, and we have already hosted two multi-sport camps at our Preparation Camp locations in Tokyo.”
An Olympic medalist herself in pentathlon, Harland said, “Tokyo will be my sixth summer Games and I am just as proud today as I was for my first Games, then as an athlete, in Sydney 2000. I have a deep passion for the Olympic Games and for Team GB in particular and I look forward to combining my on and off the field experience to ensure we support the athletes to be the best prepared they can be for the Tokyo Games next year.” She will also serve as Chef de Mission for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
For Hay’s part, he said, “I am honoured to be appointed as a Deputy Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020, which will be my seventh Games with the BOA. Following the success of Team GB in Rio and PyeongChang I look forward to embracing the challenge and expectation that Tokyo brings. Our preparations for Tokyo began in 2015 and I believe that our investment in the Team Leaders will ensure that our sports are the best prepared for the unique climatic and environment challenges that Tokyo presents to enable our athletes to perform at their best.”
Of the people appointed to his team, England stated, “With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games now just one calendar year away our focus is firmly on ensuring that Team GB are the best prepared National Olympic Committee at the Games. Mike, Georgie and Paul have a wealth of Olympic experience and their expertise and passion for Team GB and the Olympic Games gives me confidence that we have the pillars in place to ensure that every athlete who qualifies onto Team GB is able to achieve their best performance in Tokyo.”
