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Lewis Hamilton had an incredible year on the track and has now been awarded the knighthood
Lewis Hamilton will be knighted on the New Years honors list, with Rob Burrow and Jimmy Greaves also recognized with an MBE award.
Earlier this year, Hamilton became the most successful F1 driver of all time, breaking the record for the most race wins and matching Michael Schumacher as a seven-time champion.
Hamilton has combined his record-breaking sporting achievement in F1 this year with being a powerful voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, while the Mercedes driver has also long been a supporter of children’s charities and environmental issues.
0:49 Former Formula One World Champion Damon Hill believes Hamilton ‘risked a lot’ by standing up for what he believes
Stefano Domenicali, who will take over as CEO of Formula One next year, said in a statement: “Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is enormous both inside and outside of a car.”
“What he has accomplished is phenomenal and there is still more to come. Everyone in Formula 1 congratulates him on this well deserved recognition of his achievements and we look forward to seeing more of his brilliance in 2021.”
0:56 Densign White, president of Sporting Equals, told Sky Sports News that he believes Hamilton will use his knighthood “to do good things” in the black community.
Densign White, President of Sporting Equals, said Sky Sports News: “I think he [Hamilton] he fully deserves it. He’s a great ambassador, a great role model and I think he will use that knighthood to do good things for his community.
“He has always been an advocate for racial equality and diversity and a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
1:00 Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle says Hamilton’s knighthood is’ well deserved ‘after record season
“I think he’s going to use that to try and improve everyone’s situation, because unless everyone wins, no one wins.”
Hamilton has not resided permanently in the UK since 2007, and his knighthood was placed on the Diplomatic and Overseas List.
Jimmy Greaves awarded with MBE
Also among those recognized is Jimmy Greaves, winner of the 1966 World Cup in England.
The 80-year-old is Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer, with 266 goals in 379 appearances, including a club-record 220 league goals, between 1961 and 1970.
Greaves also scored 44 goals in 57 appearances for his country, including six hat-tricks, the most of any England player.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition for Her Majesty The Queen’s services to soccer,” Greaves said.
“Football has been my life, from the day I started kicking a ball as a child at my home in Essex, to joining Chelsea at 15, then Milan, those wonderful nine years at Spurs, then at West Ham and later in my work in television and media.
“There have been ups and downs, but it is a game that I will always love and always be a part of. I would like to dedicate this award to Irene, my family and friends. Thank you for all your love and support.”
Jimmy Greaves (second from right) was part of the team that won the World Cup in England in 1966, but had to miss the final due to injury.
Former Wolves midfielder Ron Flowers joins Greaves as they become the last surviving members of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup to be honored.
Flowers did not participate during the tournament, but enjoyed a successful club and international career, scoring 10 goals in 49 appearances for England, whom he captained three times.
Burrow ‘humiliated’ for the new year’s honor
Former Leeds Rhinos star Rob Burrow, who is battling motor neuron disease (MND) after being diagnosed in December last year, is also receiving an MBE.
Burrow was part of eight Super League Grand Final triumphs, two Challenge Cup victories, three World Club Challenge successes and is in an elite group of players who have won the Harry Sunderland Trophy twice.
Rob Burrow with his family in Leeds to see a mural of himself painted on the wall of the student building at the University of Leeds.
“It is truly a humbling experience to receive an MBE and I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible,” Burrow said.
“2020 has taught us all to appreciate the gifts we have and it is an honor and privilege for me to accept this award on behalf of the entire MND community.
“I hope it gives people hope that we will not be ignored and the push for more research and support to end MND will not stop.
“I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and opponents throughout my playing career. They made me the man that I am.
“The way the rugby league community has come together over the past 12 months to support me and my family says a lot about how special our sport is.
Burrow thanked his family for the role they have played in his success
“Finally, I would like to thank my family. I know they have always been proud of me. This MBE is for them and I look forward to making another special memory when I can receive the award.”
Barry Hearn ‘proud’ at OBE award
Barry Hearn, President of Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Matchroom Sport, is among the recipients of an OBE, while National Soccer League President Brian Barwick receives the same award.
Hearn said: “I am incredibly proud to have been awarded an OBE. It has been a great pleasure to participate in such a wide variety of sports for over 40 years, and to be recognized for that work is an honor.”
“I have been fortunate to work with some of the best players who have played in their sport, from Steve Davis to Phil Taylor to Chris Eubank, and I have so many wonderful memories.
“However, together with those elite players, I have always tried to create pathways and opportunities for people to reach the top of their chosen sport and change their lives in the process.”
Barry Hearn, left, with Anthony Joshua and his son Eddie Hearn
Woodhouse: I thought it was a joke email
Curtis Woodhouse, who played professional soccer for Sheffield United and Birmingham City before switching to boxing and becoming a British light welterweight champion, receives the British Empire medal.
Woodhouse, who runs the non-league Gainsborough Trinity, said Sky Sports News: “It was a little surprise, but I am honored and proud.
“I received an email and in the last few months I have not received anything but unreliable emails, so I thought it was another one of those. I was hoping they would ask for my classification code and my bank account details.
1:30 Curtis Woodhouse, who played for players like Sheffield United before becoming British boxing champion, told Sky Sports News that he thought the news of his New Year’s honor medal was a joke.
“I’m still a little shocked. I still don’t think it happened.”
Woodhouse plans to take his family with him to a reception at Buckingham Palace and looks forward to the occasion.
“We don’t leave Yorkshire very often, so it will be great to go to London and receive the award.”
The top three horse racing administrators have been recognized: Racecourse Association President Maggie Carver received a CBE, outgoing British Horseracing Authority Executive Director Nick Rust, an OBE and former Professional Jockeys Association President , Nigel Payne, earned an MBE.
In another part of the horse racing world, Bob Champion, who won the 1981 Grand National at Aldaniti while recovering from cancer, has received a CBE for his charitable work at the Bob Champion Cancer Trust.
Exeter Chiefs’ winning double season was recognized with rugby director Rob Baxter (OBE) and captain Joe Simmonds (MBE) both included on the list.
Matt Hampson, who was paralyzed from the neck down during a training session with the England Under-21 rugby team in 2005, has been recognized with an OBE for his charitable services through his foundation that supports others who suffer. catastrophic injuries in sports.
Damian Hopley, Executive Director of the Rugby Players Association, has been named MBE.
Great Britain Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong honored for her services to tennis
Meanwhile, Gill Coultard, the first woman to win 100 international soccer matches for England, receives an MBE, as does former Wales international Alan Curtis, former Swansea player and coach of the Sky Bet Championship.
Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) tennis captain Anne Keothavong receives an MBE for her services to her sport, as does John McGuinness, one of the most successful drivers in racing history of TT motorcycles from the Isle of Man.
Gymnast Rhys McClenaghan, from Newtownards in County Down, who became the first Irishman to win a world championship medal when he took bronze on the pommel horse in Stuttgart last year, is awarded the British Empire Medal.
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