Hunter has been involved in high performance sport for 13 years and excelled in his role as Chef de Mission to the English team at the problematic Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games last October.

The founding director of an award-winning international business consultancy, Hunter also managed England's swimmers at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and in Melbourne in 2006 where they produced outstanding performances at both competitions.

"I am enormously proud and honoured to take on this role," Hunter said.

"It is a great opportunity to work with what is already an outstanding team and aim for even greater success in London.

"Whilst everything that we do will be focussed on winning medals, I'm also hugely excited that ParalympicsGB's performance can go beyond that and inspire many young people to get involved in sport and help shift attitudes towards disability."

The move is somewhat of a turn of events for Hunter after he stepped down from managing Team GB's Olympic preparation camp in Loughborough in June this year for reasons that were never fully explained.

At the same time he stepped down from the Team GB delegation leadership team headed by British Olympic Association (BOA) chief executive Andy Hunt but he stayed on to act as Chef de Mission for Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in July.

Hunter takes over the role as ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission from former BPA chief executive Phil Lane.

Lane - who quit his post as BPA chief executive in February this year after ten years in the position - was the ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission at the last four Paralympic Games and led Britain to second-placed finishes on the medal table at both Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

Hunter has become the first major appointment from the new BPA chief executive Tim Hollingsworth.


There was speculation that Hollingsworth (pictured centre with Jeremy Hunt and Ben Rushgrove) would appoint himself as Chef de Mission but the former UK Sport chief operating officer feels that Hunter is the best man to help lead Britain to their target of second place on the medal table at the 2012 Paralympics at this stage.

"I have spent my first ten weeks determining the very best structure for a home Games, both to ensure maximum success for the ParalympicsGB team and extract maximum value for the organisation that sits behind it, the British Paralympic Association," Hollingsworth said.

"In Craig we have a hugely experienced, inspirational Chef de Mission whose operational knowledge, eye for detail and leadership qualities will ensure that everything is done to support lifetime best performances by British athletes.

"I firmly believe that this is the right appointment at this time.

"Craig will lead our team preparations while, as chief executive, I will be better placed to ensure we maximise the opportunities provided by a home Games and to develop the organisation's wider long term interests, setting us up for Sochi, Rio and beyond."

The move has been welcomed by team leaders and athletes alike including Stephen Park, the team leader for the sailing team.

"These are exciting and important times for the Paralympic Movement and I approve of the decision to focus the Chef de Mission role on maximising the success of the team at the Games, whilst separately allowing the chief executive to represent the BPA and the sports more widely," said Park.

"Craig is an excellent appointment as Chef - there are few people in the UK with as much experience in delivering for sport in a Games environment and I am one hundred per cent confident in his ability to do the job.

"I look forward to working with him and the rest of the team as we build towards London."

Sarah Storey, a multiple Paralympic champion in swimming and cycling, added: "I know how important this role is at Games time.

"Knowing that there is someone you can call on for advice, who understands the complexities and the elite nature of the competitive environment, gives you confidence.

"Craig has been both my team manager at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and my Chef de Mission in Delhi and he did a superb job at both.

"It's a great appointment."

Hunter will take up his post in a part-time capacity in October and will move to a full-time role in the New Year.

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