Dame Katherine Grainger Becomes First Female Chair of British Olympic Association

Dame Katherine Grainger has been appointed as the first female chair of the British Olympic Association throughout its 119-year existence. The rowing champion expressed that it was a “huge honour” to undertake the position, following Team GB’s announcement of her selection. Dame Katherine holds the unique distinction among British women of having earned medals in five consecutive Olympic Games. She is scheduled to assume the chairmanship from Hugh Robertson in early 2025, after 46 members of the National Olympic Committee cast their votes to elect her. Based in Berkshire, Dame Katherine released a statement on social media after the news became public. She stated: “The Olympics has been central to my life for nearly 30 years. “As an athlete I felt first-hand the incredible influence and impact sport has on people’s lives.“During my time as chair of UK Sport, I have learned the power of collaboration as part of this impressive eco system that enables Olympic sport to flourish in the UK, and so I look forward to embarking on this next chapter.” Her assumption of the role as chair of the British Olympics Organisation (BOA) establishes Dame Katherine as the first woman to hold the position since its founding in 1905. A statement issued by Team GB characterized the athlete as a “highly respected figure in sport”. Dame Katherine secured a gold medal at London 2012, alongside Anna Watkins in the double sculls, in addition to silver medals across various competitions in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, and Rio. Following her retirement from a 20-year rowing career, she was appointed as chair of UK Sport, where she focused on establishing a new strategic direction for Olympic and Paralympic sport. She will now conclude her tenure with UK Sport before transitioning into her role with the BOA. Andy Anson, the CEO of the BOA, commented: “Katherine is an esteemed figure in high-performance sport, recognised in the British sporting community as a steadfast leader as well as one of our greatest ever Olympians. “We are looking forward to working with her in the build-up to and during Milano-Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028.” For updates, BBC Berkshire can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.