Team GB appoint first female Chef de Mission

Olympic bronze medallist Georgie Harland has been appointed Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the next Olympic Winter Games.

Harland, who was on the podium as a modern pentathlete in Athens in 2004, becomes the first female Chef de Mission for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at an Olympic Games.

The 42-year-old will follow Mike Hay, who guided Team GB to historic successes in both Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018, when she leads the delegation in Beijing in 2022.

“I am so honoured to have been asked to take the role of Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022,” said Harland. 

“I have a deep passion for the Olympic Movement and all it encompasses, and so outside of representing your country as an athlete, which I have been fortunate enough to do, this is the next best thing. 

Being named as Chef de Mission is a privilege, and I will give everything I can to the role on behalf of all of our winter athletes and sports.

“The growth and development of Team GB as a winter nation is incredibly exciting, and Team GB’s record-breaking performances in Sochi and PyeongChang are testament to this. 

“I am very much looking forward to the journey to Beijing in 2022 and making it a memorable and successful experience for our athletes and the broader team.”

Having been with the British Olympic Association for almost ten years, Harland acted as Chef de Mission at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lausanne earlier this year. 

She was a Deputy Chef de Mission for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a role which she will replicate for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which has been moved to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harland's attentions will then quickly turn to Beijing, with the next Olympic Winter Games now just 20 months away.