A whole host of incredible individuals that are part of London’s sporting workforce have been recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for 2019.
There were MBEs for the co-founders of the Women’s Sport Trust Joanna Bostock and Tamsin Parlour for services to gender equality in sport.
The pair founded the Women’s Sport Trust in 2012 following the incredible Olympic and Paralympic Games in London to make women’s sport more visible and viable.
Bostock said: “It’s been the hardest and best thing we’ve ever done. We genuinely believe that women’s sport has the power to stimulate social change and greater equality.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to be part of something like WST and to get to work with so many great people to help make that change happen.”
Beyond delighted and somewhat dazed that both @Tammy_Parlour and I have received MBEs for services to gender equality in sport.
4.00 a.m. in the morning in India – bed heads, champagne and much happiness. https://t.co/jbf6csQcD2
— Jo Bostock (@Jobostock) December 28, 2018
Olympian Lorna Boothe is also awarded an MBE for services to sports coaching and administration.
Sprint hurdler Boothe won Commonwealth Games gold in 1978 in Edmonton before picking up silver four years later in Brisbane and represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games on two occasions.
A former British record holder, Boothe has since moved into coaching, guiding James Dasaolu onto the international stage, and spent nine years as a team manager for British Athletics.
Archbishop Costakis Evangelou will also pick up an MBE in 2019 for services to young people in North London where he is a head coach and honorary secretary of the Edmonton Eagles Amateur Boxing Club.
Evangelou said: “It was a very humbling honour to be recognised.
“It was a big surprise to me to receive a letter from the Prime Minister’s office saying I had been put forward, then appearing in Queen’s honours list.
“We work with the local community and different groups and organisations such as the police to help mentor, train and build up young people to have a more positive view of life.
“We exist partly to disqualify the gang culture and to give people more options to succeed in life.”
Elsewhere, two of the capital’s community leaders in Louisa Elliston and Ivor Northey receive British Empire Medals for their contributions to sport and public safety and sport and young people respectively.
Northey has been a member of Herne Hill Harriers for 40 years, as an athlete and coach. He mentors youngsters at the club and, since retiring, has begun running even more sessions as well as coaching at schools and various community organisations.
England’s World Cup captain and golden boot winner Harry Kane was recognised with an MBE while his manager Gareth Southgate will become an OBE for services to football.
I’m very passionate about our country and very patriotic so to get an MBE makes me immensely proud. It has been a great year for club and country. It shows hard work pays off but I couldn’t do it without the teammates, family & friends I’ve got around me. Thank you. 🙌 #NYHonours pic.twitter.com/ek9giBw2ci
— Harry Kane (@HKane) December 28, 2018
Former England cricket captain Alastair Cook, the country’s leading Test run scorer, will be knighted following his international retirement but is set to continue playing for Essex in 2019.
London Sport congratulate all the men and women across the capital and further afield who have been recognised for their contributions to sport and physical activity in this year’s honours list.
Have your hard work from 2018 recognised at the London Sport Awards – find out more here.
