Amidst sexism allegations, bullying and doping claims, the appointment of Julie Harrington as the new cheif exec of British Cycling sends out a strong message. It’s the first time a woman has held such a high position on the board.

British Cycling has been under fire over the past 12 months alone. Notably in women’s cycling has been Jess Varnish to reveal the extent of bullying and sexism at the elite level. These allegations were supported by more female professionals as they came forward as they further validated Varnish’s claims. Although Shane Sutton has long since been removed from his post as technical director, we’re still awaiting a full report from the internal investigation.

“British Cycling already has a fantastic track record of using elite success to inspire millions of people to get active by getting on their bikes and is now setting its sights on new ambitions and a new way of working.” – Julie Harrington, British Cycling Chief Executive

Being the former operations director at the Football Association, Julie is no stranger to leadership and British sports culture. She will be join by two additional newcomers to British Cycling: the chair, Jonathan Browning, and the performance director, Stephen Park.

Harrington will begin her new position at British Cycling in May. Appointing a female to such an elevated position not seen before sends out a positive message about the direction and future of British Cycling. We hope she enjoys a challenge joining at a media frenzy time, whilst athletes have their eyes set on Tokyo 2020.