Commonwealth Games England have today announced that Francesca Carter-Kelly will be Team England’s Chef de Mission for the Victoria Commonwealth Games in 2026. 

Carter-Kelly, who was Deputy Chef de Mission for Sport and Athletes at Birmingham 2022 and currently serves as Commonwealth Games England’s Director of Sport and Performance, follows in the footsteps of Mark England OBE, who was Chef de Mission for Team England at Birmingham 2022.

She will also be Chef de Mission at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, having previously been Chef de Mission for Team Great Britain at the Winter World University Games in Russia in 2019, and overseeing the development and delivery of Team England’s preparation camp for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

 

Francesca Carter-Kelly commented: “I am honoured to have been appointed as Chef de Mission for the Victoria 2026 Games cycle having held the role of Deputy at Birmingham 2022, our most successful Games ever. The future is incredibly bright for Team England and I’m excited to be part of it as Chef de Mission and seeing the athletes in action; firstly at the 2023 Youth Games and then for Victoria 2026.”

 

John Steele OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games England, said: “We are thrilled to have Francesca as Chef De Mission for Victoria 2026. Her experience and knowledge are second-to-none, and I’m looking forward to watching her lead Team England into what will unquestionably be a very challenging environment in Victoria, Australia.” 

The full Sport Program for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games features 20 sports and 26 disciplines, including nine fully-integrated Para sports. New inclusions include Golf, Coastal Rowing, Shooting, Shooting Para Sport, BMX Racing, Mountain Bike Cross Country, Track Cycling and Para Cycling Track, while 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, which made their debut at Birmingham 2022, remain in the program. Victoria 2026 will see Coastal Rowing, Golf, and BMX also making their Commonwealth Games debuts.