Former Olympic champion and cycling advocate, Chris Boardman MBE, has been named the new chair of Sport England.
Boardman will carry out a four year term – from 22 July 2021 to 21 July 2025 – and will take over from Nick Bitel, who has held the post since 2013.
Boardman – the winner of the individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games – is one of the UK’s most prominent cycling and walking advocates, having been policy adviser to British Cycling since 2012.
Over the past four years, he’s been working with Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on a plan to create the largest cycling and walking network in the country.
He’s also currently the Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, helping the Mayor to deliver a fully integrated transport system with active travel as its foundation.
At Sport England, he will play a critical role in supporting and developing grassroots sport and physical activity.
Commenting on the appointment, SAPCA chief executive, Chris Trickey, said: “Chris Boardman is an excellent appointment to the role of Sport England chair.
“His drive and enthusiasm to promote activity in communities – not least his incredible work in transforming attitudes to cycling – is well known to all of us.
“We look forward to further strengthening our ties and working together with Sport England, as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting and developing grassroots sport and physical activity – and getting more people active across the country – will be a hugely important part of the recovery process.”
In his new role Boardman will play a key role in supporting Sport England to deliver on its ambitious 10-year strategy, Uniting the Movement, published earlier this year.
You can read more about the Sport England strategy here.