Chris Nunn takes over Australia’s Chef de Mission role
27.11.2013
Australia are aiming for a top-15 finish at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
Chris Nunn is the new Chef de Mission of the Australian Paralympic Team for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) has announced.
Stepping into the role vacated by Kate McLoughlin, who resigned earlier this month due to family reasons, Nunn brings with him 30 years of administrative and coaching experience in high performance sport.
Nunn was the APC’s Manager of Coach Services at two previous summer Paralympic Games after a successful career as an athletics coach at the Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Paralympics from 1988-2000.
He joined the APC as a full-time member of staff in February 2009 and is the current Coach Performance Manager.
APC Chief Executive Jason Hellwig said Nunn was the ideal person to assume the role at this point of the Australian Paralympic Team’s preparations for Sochi for when Games open on 7 March.
“Chris has worked closely with our winter squad over the past year and coupled with his expertise gained over three decades and six Paralympic Games, he is well equipped to do an outstanding job in creating the optimal performance environment,” Hellwig said.
“We’re in the position of being able to appoint someone with Chris’s specialist area of knowledge because of the work that has already been done under the leadership of Kate McLoughlin, our General Manager of Teams and Events. The advanced level of operational planning and preparation has put us in fantastic shape and allows Chris to come on board and focus fully on helping this team win medals.”
Nunn said he was proud to accept the role and was excited to lead an Australian team with so many exciting medal prospects.
“Kate has laid a brilliant foundation for this Games campaign. It’s my job to follow in her footsteps and concentrate on ensuring every member of team is ready to perform at their peak,” Nunn said.
“Being part of an Australian Paralympic team is always an honour and I’m again honoured to share this experience with an incredible bunch of individuals.
“I think I can bring a lot to this role and feel like I have a good idea of what to expect because there isn’t much I haven’t seen or dealt with at a Paralympic Games over the years. I have no doubt my experiences can help our athletes, coaches and staff if they need it, and I’m very confident we can achieve some big things as a team over the next few months.”
Australia’s athletes will compete in two Paralympic disciplines in Sochi – alpine skiing and snowboard cross – and are aiming for a top-15 finish on the medal tally. With one silver and three bronze medals, Australia finished 16th in the medal standings at Vancouver 2010.