Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee will lead Team GB into this summer’s Youth Olympic Games after being asked to take on the role of Chef de Mission.
The legendary triathlete, who secured gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016, will manage the campaign as athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 head out to Dakar, Senegal, in October.
Now aged 38, Brownlee retired from competition in 2024 and has since embarked on a series of endurance challenges, which have included gravel cycling in South Africa, racing up the Empire State Building, and tackling what is deemed to be the toughest multisport race of them all, the Patagonman Xtri. He is also set to race the Norseman in August.
Putting his vast experience to good use
An appointed member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission – which seeks to represent athletes within the Olympic Movement – he has continued to maintain his links with the sporting world, and this appointment is regarded as the next logical step.
Having experienced himself how it feels to compete for your nation at such a young age, he is hoping to put his vast experience to good use as he leads Team GBs stars of the future into what will be the very first IOC event to be held in Africa.
Team GB will be represented across seven sports at Dakar 2026 – archery, badminton, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, rowing and sailing – with Brownlee saying this week: “My role as Chef de Mission is a privilege and an incredible opportunity to inspire the next generation of young athletes – and that is such an important role.
“You’ve got so much at stake because it’s their dreams, their careers and their health all rolled into one incredible opportunity. I felt that in my career, the people who had the biggest impact on me were the mentors I met as a young person.
‘The Youth Olympic Games are so special’
“That’s when you’re developing the most, and I think you’ve got the biggest capacity to improve as an athlete. The Youth Olympic Games are so special because there is perhaps nothing else where over 10,000 young people, from every country on the planet, all live under the same roof.”
As well as his two Olympic golds, Brownlee also claimed four ITU Triathlon World Championships, cementing his historic legacy as one of the sport’s greatest competitors of all time. It is that success which Team GB hopes will rub off on the younger generation.
Alistair, older brother to three-time Olympic medallist and Tokyo 2020 champion Jonny, now follows in the footsteps of curling gold medallist Eve Muirhead, who was also appointed Chef de Mission after her retirement.
Muirhead led Team GB at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, before taking the reins of the senior team that competed at Milano Cortina 2026.
‘There is certainly a lot I can learn from her’
Ahead of his young squad’s journey to Dakar for the event that starts on 31 October and ends on 13 November, Brownlee revealed what he had learnt from Muirhead’s trailblazing route.
Brownlee said: “I know Eve relatively well, and we’ve actually talked quite a bit about the role for a few years. I spent a bit of time with her when she first led Team GB in Gangwon. She shared some of her experiences, and we’ve chatted often since.
“She’s done an amazing and inspiring job, both as a leader and communicator. There’s certainly a lot I can learn from her. I think athletes have so much to offer in their post-sporting careers, and I am incredibly excited by the opportunities retired athletes like me have been afforded.
“As an athlete, you just turn up, sleep somewhere nice, eat, perform and go home. But to see what goes on in the background, powered by Team GB, is unbelievable.”
