Heralding a new era for RYA Racing, today sees the announcement that Nick Scott will be taking up the Director of Racing position this autumn and Mark Robinson MBE is assuming a new role as Performance Director following the British Sailing Team’s success at Tokyo 2020.
As Director of Racing, Nick will oversee the development of sail racing within the UK, including determining and developing the strategy of youth, junior, keelboat and coach development programmes. Formerly the RYA Olympic Manager, Mark will focus on leading the team responsible for executing the Paris 2024 strategy and building towards LA 2028.
Nick has been involved in performance sport since his time on the Sailing World Class Programme as an athlete. The former Olympic Development Squad sailor and RYA Scotland High Performance Manager returns to the RYA following two Olympic cycles with the English Institute of Sport, first at British Triathlon and latterly at British Rowing.
A former sailing coach and civil engineer by training, Nick brings to the RYA a wealth of experience in leading performance planning, sports science, and innovation strategies in the pursuit of Olympic and Paralympic medals – and as the brother of Giles Scott MBE, four-time Finn Gold Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Nick knows what it takes to reach the top!
Commenting on his appointment, Nick said: “I can’t wait to get started in this role. It’s an exciting time for sailing in the UK and I look forward to bringing my experiences from other sports and working with the sailing community to continue to create great experiences of racing and develop the sailing superstars of the future.”
Newly promoted Mark Robinson MBE, who has more than 35 years’ experience in the sport as a competitor, coach, and National Team Manager led Australia’s Paralympic sailors to the top of the medal table at Rio 2016, and at Tokyo 2020 delivered the most successful Olympics for our British sailors since Beijing 2008.
“Topping the Tokyo sailing medal table, with three golds, one silver and one bronze, confirmed the British sailing Team as the most successful national Olympic sailing team of all time. It’s a true privilege to be given the opportunity to lead the team into Paris 2024 and beyond,” Mark said.
Sara Sutcliffe MBE, Chief Executive of the RYA, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing these key appointments. Success breeds success and the RYA has been able to establish one of the best sport development programmes in the world, with a clear and direct link between Olympic success and the clubs and schools at the grassroots of sailing.
“I’m confident that Nick’s appointment, alongside Mark Robinson’s new role as Performance Director, will see our sport go from strength to strength, while at the same time inspiring future participants, volunteers, coaches and champions to ensure a thriving UK club racing scene.”
Pictured above: Mark Robinson MBE and Nick Scott
