UK Sport appoints Professor Nick Webborn as chair

Professor Nick Webborn, chair of the British Paralympic Association, has been appointed chair of UK Sport for the next four years.

A high performance athlete, medical director, clinician, researcher and chair of the British Paralympic Association since 2017, Webborn has decades of experience in providing performance support to British athletes.

He has worked on 13 Paralympic Games and played a critical role in leading the organisation through a period of change, as it delivered the strategy which sustained ParalympicsGB’s position near the top of successive Paralympic medal tables, while embedding social impact as a cornerstone of its work.

Earlier in his career, Webborn was chief medical officer for the London 2012 Paralympics and the 2014 Invictus Games. He also helped develop the winning bid for the London 2012 Games and was involved in the strategic planning and delivery of the Games’ healthcare. He was awarded an MBE in 2016 for services to Paralympic Sports Medicine and a CBE in 2022 for services to sport and sports medicine. He also had the honour of being invited onto Desert Island Discs last year, to mark the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In 1981, Webborn suffered a dislocation of the spine at the base of his neck while playing rugby for the RAF. The surgery did not have the desired result and some years later he discovered the consultant had not performed the operation before. As a result, he is reliant on a wheelchair and walking stick and also a pioneer in the needs of para-athletes and making paralympic events safer for competitors.

“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,” says Webborn.

“However, I also know that our sporting success is 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.”

His role will include delivering on the 10 year strategic plan which sets out the intention of keeping the elite athletes winning on the world stage, to grow a collaborative sporting community across the UK and use sport to inspire positive change.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy said: “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.”

Chief executive of UK Sport, Sally Munday, welcomed Webborn to the team, saying: “His long experience in high performance sport makes him perfectly positioned to chair UK Sport through the next phase of the delivery of the strategic plan and drive the system change needed to continue a positive future for Olympic and Paralympic sport and major sporting events in the UK.”

Taking up the post on 22 May, Webborn will follow on from Katherine Grainger who has served in the role for eight years.