First female BBC Sport head named

Mrs Slater is a former Olympic gymnast

The BBC has appointed its first ever female director of sport.

Barbara Slater, who is currently the corporation's head of sport production, will succeed Roger Mosey, who has been named BBC director of London 2012.

Mrs Slater's responsibilities will include directing coverage of major sport events and overseeing the move of her department from London to Salford.

She said: "I am thrilled to have this opportunity to lead BBC Sport at such an exciting and challenging time."

Mrs Slater added that she was looking forward to leading the relocation and "making the 2012 Games the success they deserve to be".

'New decade'

Mrs Slater, who grew up in Birmingham, joined the BBC in 1983.

She had previously enjoyed a successful career as an international gymnast, and competed in the 1976 Olympic Games.

Peter Salmon, the director of BBC North, praised Mrs Slater's "skill as a supreme sports producer".

"We are about to start a new decade of digital sports broadcasting across all our platforms. I am confident Barbara and her teams can lead us there successfully," he added.