Paralympics New Zealand has appointed Raylene Bates to lead the New Zealand team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Bates leads Athletics New Zealand's High Performance Programme Para programme, and coaches of 15 athletes in Dunedin, including Tokyo gold medallist Holly Robinson.
"Athletics is my life, it's my passion. I've been involved since I was a child, and being involved with Para Athletics for the last 20 years. This will be my fifth Paralympics, so it's really special to be going as Chef de Mission.
"Having been inside these teams for so long, every team is unique, every situation is unique and every game has it's challenges. But understanding what an athletes go through, and the uniqueness of a Paralympics, hopefully some of those lessons I can bring to this team so that the stress isn't there for the athletes."
The Paris Paralympic Games, set to be held between 28 August to 8 September next year, will see 4,400 of the world’s best Para athletes compete in the city, with New Zealand's medal hopes high.
Games Campaign and Sports Manager Lynette Grace will serve as Deputy Chef de Mission, a role she also held at Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.
Paralympic team selection announcements are expected to begin in April 2024.
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