He will be responsible for all the planning, organisation and management of the athletics events in the Olympic Stadium in 2012, arguably the most challenging of all the roles.

 

Colton said “Being involved in the London 2012 Games is the high point of my career.

 

"I see myself as a champion for athletics, and my aim is to look after the interests of all athletes competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, and to ensure that we provide the right facilities, opportunities and processes to enable them to perform to the best of their ability.”

 

Colton was a teenage prodigy who as a 15-year-old in 1969 set a world-age best for the indoor 1500 metres.

 

Racing against seniors at the national indoor championships at Cosford, he ran 3min 58.9sec.

 

Later in his athletics career, during which he regularly trained with Dave Moorcroft when he was among the world's top distance runners, he represented England at cross country and achieved a marathon personal best of 2 hours 14min 39sec.

 

Colton's other personal bests included 13min 51.6sec for 5,000m and 29:31.67 for 10,000m.

 

Niels de Vos, the chief executive of UK Athletics, said: “Terry’s appointment is great news for the athletics world as we all look ahead to London 2012.

 

"He has an outstanding record of delivering world class events and his attention to detail will ensure top quality athletics in London.

 

"UK Athletics worked closely with Terry at both the World and European Indoors in Birmingham in 2003 and 2007 and both are regarded by the respective governing bodies as the best examples of each Championship.”

 

The key responsibilities for 55-year-old Colton will include the overseeing of all aspects of the athletics events and to be the focal point for liaison with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

 

He will ensure that the competition is organised in accordance with international federation regulations, the International Olympic Committee Charter and the Host City Contract. 

 

Colton will liaise with other functional areas to ensure the coordinated delivery of support services such as accreditation, venue operations, medical services and volunteers.

 

Colton travelled to Beijing in the summer to see what lessons could be learned from the Athletics events there at both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

 

Colton is a graduate from Loughborough University, where he studied alongside Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012.

 

He is an experienced sports executive who started work with a sports promotions company and co-ordinated the team of ten that set up the "Race Against Time" that raised millions of pounds for Sport Aid in the 1980s.

 

Colton then moved to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham where he worked in the events division.

 

For some of this time he managed the National Indoor Arena (NIA) and worked with colleagues to bring to Birmingham a number of national, European and world athletics events. 

 

He was the championship director for the ninth IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships in   2003, still regarded as one of the best events of its kind every staged. 

 

Colton was also the assistant championship director for last year's European Indoor Championships staged at the NIA, also praised as the best ever.