Nothing can ever prepare you for the ultimate responsibility of being the big boss but even so, Phil Smith was thrown in at the very deep end in his first experience as a chef de mission.
Leading Britain to Beijing’s Paralympics earlier this year, Smith found himself facing not only the challenges of a Covid-secure Games, but also the unexpected geo-political fallout of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.
For Smith, who has worked for ParalympicsGB since 2005, it was a rude introduction to the role, but one he came through with flying colours.
