Australian Canoeing and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) today announced the appointment of Richard Fox as Canoeing National Performance Director.

Fox was the National Performance Director for canoeing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Under Fox’s leadership Australia successfully qualified 16 athletes for the Beijing Olympics and won a record five Olympic medals (1 gold) across the flatwater and slalom disciplines.

Canoeing was the second highest medal winning sport for Australia at the Beijing Olympics behind swimming.

Fox was the Head Coach of the Canoe Slalom team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic and 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

A former competitor, Fox won five individual world titles for Great Britain in the men's kayak event between 1981 and 1993.

Fox said he was looking forward to working with the AIS and State Institute of Sports / State Academies of Sport, along with other stakeholders such as the ASC’s National Talent Identification and Development section in ensuring Australian Canoeing was well placed ahead of London 2012 Olympics.

‘We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to match in London what our athletes and coaches achieved in Beijing. I am excited by the challenge of a fresh start and the great opportunity to work closely with all of our partners to build a long term future for the sport,’ Fox said.

Australian Canoeing Chairperson, Danielle Woodward said Fox was well equipped to take the national program forward through his vast experience and expertise.

Australian Canoeing looks forward to Richard leading our Olympic High Performance program and building a sustainable system to achieve results in London and beyond,’ Woodward said.

AIS Director Professor Fricker paid tribute to Fox and the results he’s helped the AIS and Australian canoeing achieve.

‘Richard deserves a lot of the credit for the outstanding results achieved by the Australian canoeing team,’ Professor Fricker said.

‘His wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership has combined to provide Australia with some outstanding results on the world stage.’

‘The AIS is a world leader in elite athlete development, and the Institute’s canoe/kayak programs have played a significant role in building that reputation.’