British Olympic Association Appoints Director of Communications

(ATR) English FA head of media relations Scott Field will be joining the BOA in February, replacing Miriam Wilkens who is leaving to pursue another communications role.

Field, recruited by The FA in 2009, joins the BOA at a critical time in the build-up to the Rio Olympics. He brings experience of working on the London 2012 Olympic football tournament.

"Scott will bring a fresh perspective to our leadership team and we are very much looking forward to working with him," said BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney. His network and experiences are very relevant and he will help us continue to build relationships across the media and provide the best possible support to our sports, athletes, and key stakeholders."

Field said he was "extremely proud and very excited to be joining the BOA as Team GB enter this exciting period in the build up to the Brazil games".

He added: "Having worked at World Cups and European finals in football there are few other arenas I would swap this for, but the Olympics is a unique and special opportunity. It will be a very different experience to that of London, but it will be a great challenge to prepare for and deliver success in Rio.

"I look forward to engaging with my colleagues across sport, as well as with our partners and, of course, the athletes that provide us with so many compelling stories."

FA chief executive Martin Glenn said he was "disappointed" Field was leaving the football federation but thanked him for his "commitment and hard work at The FA".

Field will join the existing BOA communications team, working alongside Laura Meech and Ed Langford.

In a statement, the BOA thanked Miriam Wilkens for her nine years of service to the BOA.

Previously, she spent more than four years working at the International Paralympic Committee. Wilkens is leaving sport to take on a new role as VP of communications at the global food ingredients company Tate & Lyle.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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