It has been announced that the chairman of ParalympicsGB Tim Reddish will be taken the newly created role of executive director of British Disability Swimming to provide support for the 2012 preparations.

By taking this new role Reddish is hoping to strengthen the position of British Swimming within the Paralympic Movement both nationally and internationally.

The appointment follows an in-depth analysis of the British Swimming Disability Programme and is part of a strategic restructure to help meet the challenge of the London 2012 Paralympics while looking beyond to 2016.

Reddish, who competed in three Paralympics between Barcelona in 1992 and Sydney in 2000 and won a total of five medals, took up his role as national performance director in 2003 and since then, British Disability Swimming has consistently been one of the best nations in the world. 

Reddish was appointed as Chairman for ParalympicsGB in November 2008 and he will now share his knowledge and experience to provide strategic guidance for the programme going forward.

  “This is a new role within our sport and there will be a lot of things in the coming months that we all need to get our heads around but I am excited to add a new dimension in leadership to our sport,” Reddish said.

  “The new role will help move the sport forward as we look to the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics and beyond. I have been involved with the sport for 13 years and I have seen and helped it grow into the best programme in the world.