British Chief Named

Lord Colin Moynihan, former British Conservative Minister of Sport, has been elected Chairman of the British Olympic Association.

Moynihan, won a silver medal in the 1980 Olympics as cox to the men's rowing eight, won the vote 28-15 ahead of his one rival, former Olympic hurdler David Hemery, who remains vice-chairman.

The term lasts for three years.

BOA chief executive Simon Clegg said:

"I am extremely excited at the prospect of working with Colin Moynihan to deliver the vision of the Olympic governing bodies at this critical time in our history.

I have known Colin for nearly 20 years now and am convinced that his enthusiasm, leadership and passion for sport will enable the BOA to make the necessary step-change to meet the challenges we face in the build up to the London Olympic Games in 2012."

The irony for Blair and his Labour government is that the two top jobs in the Olympics, this one and Chairman of London 2102, are held by Conservative peers.