Sport England & UK Sport Confirm New Appointments

British sport will have a new look from this week after senior appointments were confirmed at UK Sport and Sport England, with Rod Carr and Nick Bitel named as chairmen of the respective organisations. 

Bitel joins Sport England having served as chief executive of the London Marathon since 1995, succeeding Richard Lewis – who was appointed chief executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club in April 2012. 

Former Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who is on the board of Transport for London and sits as a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords, was believed to have been put forward following the initial interview process and was sports minister Hugh Robertson’s first choice for the Sport England role.

However, after the decision was reportedly passed up to the secretary of state, Maria Miller and then to No10 for approval, it is believed that Bitel was preferred. His commercial acumen was given as the reason, but many in the media pointed instead to Grey-Thompson’s vocal criticism of the government’s recent welfare reforms. 

The 11-time Paralympic gold medal winner said in a statement: ‘First and foremost, I would like to send my congratulations to Nick Bitel.

‘My aim has always been to try to ensure the best for sport in the UK and to secure the grassroots legacy of London 2012 and in going for the position at Sport England it was my hope that I could continue that work. We need strong leadership on this issue to make sure it doesn’t slip down the agenda.

‘I do, of course, respect the government’s decision, and having worked with Nick Bitel on the Board of the London Marathon I have no doubt that he will do a fantastic job. Needless to say, I will continue to offer any support I can to Sport England and those other organisations that make sport more accessible in our society.

‘It is a great privilege to sit on the crossbenches in the House of Lords and have the opportunity to work with all political parties for the good of the country. I will continue to give my backing to whichever measures I believe are for the good of sport and wider society in the UK.’

Bitel, who has been on the Sport England board since 2010, commented: ‘London 2012 has given us a huge opportunity to deliver a real boost for community sport and Sport England is central to achieving this. I look forward to working with (chief executive) Jennie Price, her excellent team and Sport England’s stakeholders and partners to encourage greater participation in sport and ensure a lasting, tangible legacy from the Games.’

Meanwhile, Carr comes to UK Sport – the organisation responsible for investing public funds in high performance sport – having worked in high performance sailing for over 30 years, succeeding Baroness Sue Campbell, who steps down after serving the maximum two terms in the post of chair of UK Sport.

The appointment comes as UK Sport embarks on the new Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic cycle, investing a record £355 million of National Lottery and Government funding into Britain’s athletes, with the aim to win even more medals in Rio than the 65 won at London 2012.

Carr added: ‘Having worked in the British sporting system and with UK Sport for many years, I feel honoured to be entrusted with leading this high performing organisation into the Rio cycle. Our job is to ensure our Olympic and Paralympic athletes are best placed to keep delivering those magical moments that we all enjoyed last summer, to inspire the next generation for many years to come. The ambitious goal to win more medals in Rio will be our toughest challenge yet, but I’m confident that we can deliver.’