Former Loughborough College student Don Parker has been recently appointed as Sports Director at Commonwealth Games England. Parker has an impressive sporting pedigree having represented England at table tennis more than 200 times before taking on the national coach and team manager role in 1978.

In 1995, he joined the British Olympic Association as Deputy Technical Director before moving to the CGE as Sports Liason Officer two years later. Used as a World Class Advisor by both Sport England and UK Sport, Parker has also played an important role in the last three Commonwealth Games and last four Olympic Games.

CGE Chairman Sir Andrew Foster said: “I am pleased to confirm the appointments of Adam (Paker, new Chief Executive) and Don to lead the CGE team. “This is an exciting time for CGE and I am confident that they can build on our solid foundations to implement the new CGE Strategy for 2011 to 2014 and work with our partners to prepare for a successful and unforgettable Games in Glasgow 2014.”