The 49-year-old winter sports guru (pictured top), who after a competitive curling career in which he helped Scotland win five European titles and two world silver medals, guided Rhona Martin and her team of Scotswomen at Salt Lake City 2002 to Britain's first Winter Games gold medal since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's gold in ice dance at Sarajevo 1984.

Hay will lead a British contingent of about 50 athletes, with the same number of support staff, at next year's Winter Olympics and was unanimously backed by the BOA Board of Directors.

"It is an absolute honour to be asked to head up Team GB at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games," Hay, who has been the BOA's head of winter sport engagement since 2007, said.

"As a former curler and coach, my passion is winter sport and my ambition is to make sure that every single member of Team GB in 2014 can perform to the best of his or her ability."

As exclusively reported by insidethegames in February, Hay voiced his ambition of winning three medals at Sochi 2014, which would make it the most successful British performance at a winter Games since the 1936 Games at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, second only to the total of four medals gained at the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix.


"We are not an alpine nation but I am very excited by the performances that we have seen this past season from our winter athletes," he added.

"If everyone remains focused, fit and on form, we will be competitive in a number of disciplines with realistic medal opportunities.

"The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics will be fabulous because everything is purpose built, the proximity of the coastal and mountain clusters will make the Games feel much more compact than previous ones have, and the fact that we have an Olympic Park – a first for a Winter Olympics – will be great for both athletes and fans."

Hay played key roles in the preparations for the Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and also worked with Team GB managing a preparation camp at Loughborough University ahead of London 2012, where Britain finished third on the medals table.

Although Team GB secured just one gold medal at Vancouver 2010 when Amy Williams was victorious in skeleton, the nation is confident of its chances in Russia next year with skeleton world champion Shelley Rudman, short track speed skater Elise Christie and slopestyle skier James Wood among the hopes heading to the Games.


BOA chairman Sebastian Coe welcomed the appointment of Hay and said he was confident he will "deliver".

"Mike Hay is the perfect person for the job of Chef de Mission at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games: he is a former athlete, a former coach and a well-respected leader within winter sport, nationally and internationally," he explained.

"I know that Mike will deliver the best possible performance environment for our Team GB athletes in Sochi as he has already coached one team to a Winter Olympic gold medal – the women's curlers in Salt Lake 2002.

"He knows what it takes to perform and to be a winner."

The appointment of Hay comes on the 301 days to go marker to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, which will take place on February 7-23 next year.

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