British Cycling hope for new era by appointing Stephen Park as performance director – Telegraph.co.uk

Stephen Park, the Royal Yachting Association’s Olympic manager, has been named the new performance director at British Cycling, filling a role left vacant since Sir Dave Brailsford stepped aside in 2014 to focus his energies on Team Sky.

Park, 48, will begin his role in the spring, by which time the independent review investigating the culture at cycling’s national governing body will have delivered its report.  

Despite the success of its athletes on both track and road this year, it has been a tumultuous period for British Cycling with a UK Anti-Doping investigation still ongoing, the saga surrounding Shane Sutton’s resignation amid allegations of sexism, bullying and discrimination by former track sprinter Jess Varnish – both parties are still going through legal channels to get their hands on the evidence unearthed by an internal inquiry – as well as the independent review.

Ian Drake, British Cycling’s chief executive, has also announced that he will be stepping down in the spring – he denied his decision had anything to do with the ongoing crisis – while Sutton has yet to be replaced as technical director.

The governing body will hope that Park’s arrival heralds a new dawn, at least in terms of stability.