Penny Briscoe was named Paralympics GB chef de mission yesterday for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Briscoe, the British Paralympic Association director of sport, held the same role in Sochi when Great Britain enjoyed its most successful Winter Paralympics.

She was also a deputy chef de mission for the team at the London 2012 Games and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.

A British team of 12 athletes returned from Sochi with six medals, including a first gold at a Winter Paralympics for Kelly Gallagher and her guide Charlotte Evans in women’s visually impaired Super-G.

But expectations at a summer Games are far greater, particularly after Britain won 120 medals, 34 gold, at London 2012 and 102 medals, 42 of them gold, four years earlier in Beijing.

“We shouldn’t be scared,” Briscoe said.

“The bottom line of the challenge is 121 medals in Rio, which is massive.

“We are on track, but there’s still an awful lot of work to do.”

Briscoe joined the BPA in 2001 and Rio will be her seventh Paralympics.

Her all-encompassing role with the BPA, which she has held since 2002, sees her well-placed to assess the potential successes in Rio and results in 2014 have given her confidence.

“The sports, collectively, have had an incredible season,” she said.

“There’s excellent work going on across the sports to ensure we are maintaining those edges where we can and athletes are really benefiting from the professionalisation of the system.

“We’ve got strength in depth across the sport programme.”

One of the challenges for Rio is that it will be the first ‘away’ Paralympics for many, eight years on from Beijing.

“We’ll be going into Rio with 80 per cent of the team that haven’t been to an away Games,” Briscoe said.

Briscoe is honoured to have been named chef de mission.

“In some ways it’s slightly overwhelming, but it’s something that I’ve worked for,” Briscoe said.