Sussex sports professor named chair of UK Sport

A Sussex sports professor has been named as the new chair of UK Sport.

Nick Webborn CBE said it was a "great honour" to be appointed to the role.

He said he was looking forward to working with people across the UK to "deliver continued success on the field of play and to unite, inspire and excite people all across the nation".

Prof Webborn, from Eastbourne, has most recently been chair of the British Paralympic Association and has worked on 13 Paralympic Games.

He has also been an athlete, medical director, clinician and researcher.

In 1981, aged 25, he was a junior medical officer with the RAF when he sustained a severe spinal injury during a rugby match, undergoing months of rehabilitation.

He found work as a GP and at the same time became a research pioneer into the needs of para-athletes, and making Paralympic events safer for competitors.

He said: "Having spent much of my life in high performance sport, I know how much the UK public value the Olympic and Paralympic success that our wonderful sports and athletes have achieved over the last 25 years and how much the UK is respected as a host of sporting events."

But he said the nation's sporting success was not guaranteed "in the face of mounting global competition".

"I therefore look forward to working with the incredibly talented people we have across the UK sporting system to deliver continued success on the field of play and to unite, inspire and excite people all across the nation," he said.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she was "delighted" to welcome him to the role.

"Nick's leadership will be crucial as UK Sport continues its efforts to grow Olympic and Paralympic sports, while continuing work with government to cement the UK's position as a world-leading host of prestigious competitions that leave lasting legacies in communities across the country," she said.

Sally Munday, chief executive of UK Sport, said: "I know that people across the Olympic and Paralympic sport community in the UK will join me in giving Nick a very warm welcome to his exciting new role."

In 2016, Prof Webborn was awarded an OBE for services to Paralympic Sports Medicine and the British Paralympic Association and he was given a CBE in the 2022 New Year's Honours List for services to Sport and Sports Medicine.

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