Phil Smith announced as ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission for Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games

ParalympicsGB have today announced the Chef de Mission of the British team for the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Phil Smith, who held the role at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in March last year, will lead the team once again in Italy in less than three years’ time.

Currently the Head of Sport at ParalympicsGB, responsible for the development and implementation of the Games Services strategy for each summer and winter Games, Smith has attended seven Paralympic Games throughout his career, and was Deputy Chef de Mission for the team at Pyeongchang 2018 as well as the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Games before taking on the leadership role for Beijing 2022. He will also be Deputy Chef de Mission to the British team at Paris 2024.

ParalympicsGB won six medals in China, including a first-ever men’s gold medal on the snow at either a Paralympic or Olympic Games courtesy of vision impaired skier Neil Simpson and his guide, his brother Andrew. The pair kick-started an array of outstanding performances with ParalympicsGB more competitive in more sports than ever before.

Smith’s leadership in the build up to and during Beijing 2022, through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine which began just days before competition got underway, were recognised when he was awarded UK Sport’s PLx Award for Spirit of High Performance last year.

Smith said: “It is a huge honour to be given the opportunity to lead the ParalympicsGB team to the Paralympic Winter Games in 2026. Working with the team in the build up to and during Beijing 2022 was an immense privilege and I am thrilled to have the chance to perform this role once again with such an incredible group of athletes and support staff.

“British performances at recent Winter Games have been outstanding and we are becoming an ever more competitive winter sports nation. As a team we will do everything we can to ensure all ParalympicsGB athletes and staff have the tools and support to perform at their very best when competition gets underway at Milan Cortina 2026.”

David Clarke OBE, Chief Executive Officer at ParalympicsGB said: “I’m delighted that Phil will lead ParalympicsGB as Chef de Mission to the team for Milan Cortina 2026. Phil’s superb leadership skills were abundantly clear in Beijing last year and I know he will do all he can to not only ensure we take a best prepared team to the Games and be world-leading on and off the field of play, but to help deliver on our wider ambitions to drive for a more inclusive environment for disabled people in the UK, in sport and across wider society.”

The Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games take place from 6-15 March 2026.