The Olympic and Paralympic high-performance sport community has been celebrated in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours. The moment bringing an opportunity to say thank you to athletes, coaches, official and administrators for the extraordinary service across sport.
Among them is UK Sport’s head of major events, Esther Britten. The honour recognises the immense contribution that Esther has made to the UK’s sporting system over the last 15 years in the field of major events. She has played a key role in the bidding and staging of most of the major one-off international sporting events hosted in the UK over the last decade. These events have enhanced the lives of local communities, and the reputation of the UK globally.
UK Sport Board member and Olympic gold medal winning cyclist, Chris Boardman received a CBE, the International Working Group on Women & Sport's Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe was awarded an MBE for her services to sport and British Elite Athletes Association Head of Safeguarding, Elaine Hunniford received an MBE for her services to young people and safeguarding in sport.
Hunniford was seconded to the British Elite Athletes Association to lead the support team established to help children, families and elite athletes affected by allegations of mistreatment in gymnastics.
Mark Cavendish, who won the men's road race at the 2011 World Championships for Great Britain and had success on the track winning Olympic silver at the 2016 Games in the omnium received a Knighthood, as former sprinter Anita Neil, who in 1968 became the first black woman to compete for Great Britain at an Olympic Games, received an MBE for services to athletics.
Double Paralympic medallist Rebecca Redfern and current World Champion in the SB13 100m Breaststroke, received an MBE for her incredible work visiting countless schools throughout Worcestershire, speaking to children about how to overcome obstacles to achieve success.
David McNulty, British Swimming's national lead coach who has guided Team GB to success in the pool at recent Olympics was awarded an OBE, alongside World Wheelchair Rugby president Richard Allcroft.
List of recipients from Olympic and Paralympic sports, UK major events and high-performance partners:
Knighthood
Mark Cavendish (cyclist), for services to cycling and charity work
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Chris Boardman (former Olympic cyclist and UK Sport/Sport England board member), for services to active travel
Barbara Slater (former director of BBC Sport and Olympic gymnast), for services to sports broadcasting
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Richard Allcroft (president, World Wheelchair Rugby), for services to wheelchair rugby
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Jennifer Bott (coach), for services to gymnastics
Esther Britten (deputy director, head of major events, UK Sport), for services to sport
Penelope Broomhead (international Para-athletics classifier, World Para-Athletics), for services to international disability sport
Roy Corry, for services to athletics
Elaine Hunniford, (head of safeguarding, British Elite Athletes Association), for services to young people and to safeguarding in sport
David McNulty (head coach, British Swimming performance centre), for services to swimming
Anita Neil (Olympic athlete), for services to athletics
Lisa O'Keefe (executive director, Sport England Insight), for services to sport
Richard Osborne (sitting volleyball coach), for services to disability sport
Rebecca Redfern (swimmer), services to young people and to the community in Worcestershire
Derek Salisbury (chair, Neath Hockey Club), for services to hockey in south Wales
British Empire Medal (BEM)
Harry Brodie (organiser, Wheelchair Curling Committee Scotland), for services to wheelchair curling
Catherine Coombs (president, junior coach, manager and child welfare officer, Redland Ladies Hockey Club), for services to hockey in Bristol
Robert Easson (director of rugby, Edinburgh Academical Football Club), for services to Scottish rugby
Ernest Feargrieve (lead race mechanic, Great Britain Cycling Team), for services to cycling
Linda Forrister, for services to British Gymnastics
Antony Ward (swimming technical official), for services to swimming and Para-swimming
Sharon Wood (chair, technical committee, British Gymnastics), for services to trampoline gymnastics