Athletics:Sonia O'Sullivan has been appointed Chef de Mission by the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and will lead the Irish team at the London 2012 Games.
Ireland’s most celebrated athlete of recent times will head-up an experienced management team including OCI chief executive Stephen Martin and Martin Burke, OCI sports director.
O’Sullivan, Olympic silver medallist at the Sydney Games in 2000 and former World and European champion, has experience in the role after serving as Chef de Mission for the European Youth Olympic squad.
“Sonia is a sporting legend and she will ensure that the Irish team’s preparations and participation at the London Olympics will be totally athlete focused,” said Jamie Costin, chairman of the Olympic Athletes Commission. “This is a superb move by the OCI and will undoubtedly assist our chances of winning medals.”
Ireland will also be represented in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next February with former Irish triple jump champion Siobhan Hoey named as Chef de Mission. Hoey currently manages the Irish women’s bobsleigh team.
Commenting on both appointments, Pat Hickey, President of the OCI said: “These selections allow us to take a fresh and dynamic approach to the many performance challenges that face our athletes, especially for the London Games, which will be virtually a ‘home’ Olympics for Ireland.”