Alumni duo appointed to ParalympicsGB key roles

Sports
Clare Cunningham in swimwear, running

Alumni duo Clare Cunningham and Tom Paulson have been appointed in key roles by ParalympicsGB as it steps up preparations towards the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

The pair are among three Deputy Chef de Mission roles for the Games.

Clare is a gold medal winning Paralympian who has attended three Games in swimming (1992 & 1996) and triathlon (2016). After an early career as a chartered accountant and retiring as an athlete she studied an M.Sc in Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2017 which provided a platform for a career move into sport. Currently Athlete Services Manager at the British Paralympic Association Clare has responsibility for all areas of team education, safeguarding, welfare and anti-doping and Beijing will be her second Games as a member of the ParalympicsGB team.

Tom studied at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for his undergraduate, masters and Ph.D at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. The Peter Harrison Centre funded his Ph.D in Para sport and he also worked on a wheelchair rugby project at the centre in the run up to the Rio Games in 2016. He is currently Head of Paralympic Performance Support at British Paralympic Association & English Institute of Sport.  He has been to three Paralympic Games and will lead on all aspects of preparation and athlete performance support in Beijing.

On their appointments Phil Smith, Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022 said: “All three deputies bring brilliant leadership qualities and a wealth of technical knowledge and I am delighted to have them on board as ParalympicsGB seek to make the nation proud with the inspirational performances of our athletes on ice and snow and further establish ourselves as a medal winning winter sport nation.

“Clare’s appointment means that for the first time in over 20 years we will have a Paralympian as a member of the Chef’s team and she will ensure that athlete voice, welfare, wellbeing and safeguarding is at the forefront of all of our planning and delivery at the Games.

“Tom will bring his vast knowledge of athlete preparation and performance to ensure that each of the three villages is set up to support our athletes to produce world class performances in Beijing.

The Beijing Paralympic Winter Games will be staged from 4 March to 13 March, 2022 and ParalympicsGB expects to take a team of around 20 athletes to compete.

Our congratulations go to Tom and Clare on their appointments.