The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has selected Aimee Mullins as its Chef de Mission of Team U.S.A. for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
In her new role, the former Paralympian will provide overall leadership to the team and function as the liaison officer between the London Organizing Committee (LOCOG), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and other National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) at the Games.
Her success and fame in sport included her groundbreaking performance at Georgetown University, Washington DC, where she competed as the first-ever amputee on a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I track team. Mullins served as president and is a current trustee of the NCAA Women’s Sports Foundation.
She was also the first person in the world outfitted with woven carbon-fiber prostheses modeled after the hind legs of a cheetah, set world records in the 100m, 200m, and long jump, and represented Team U.S.A. at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Through all of her accomplishments, she is perhaps best known for changing the world of prosthetics and the way people perceive athletes with unique bodies.
“Sport gives us all a platform upon which we explore our dreams and test the limits of our will…I’m humbled and excited for the opportunity to share my experience and provide encouragement to fellow Team U.S.A. athletes as Chef de Mission of Team U.S.A. for the Paralympic Games,” Mullins said about her appointment. “Paralympic athletes are a testament to both athletic excellence and the potential of the human body, and I respect the steps that the USOC has taken to put Paralympians on the same stage as their Olympic counterparts. I look forward to further integration in the lead up to the London Games and beyond.”
An advocate for revolutionary thinking about body image, Mullins has built a lateral career in acting and as a consultant on innovative thinking, for which she is invited around the world to speak. In February she was selected as the global brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris.
The author of numerous articles, Mullins’ writings have been published worldwide and she serves on boards of various non-profit organizations; most recently she was appointed to the leadership board of SPIRE Institute.
Adapted from material provided by the IPC.
