New Year honors for top British Olympians

LONDON: Former Olympic athletes Steve Cram, Mary Peters and Wendy Sly have been honored by Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year list.
Cram, the former world champion, 1984 Olympic silver medalist and world record holder at 1,500 meters, is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire or CBE. The honor is in recognition of his recent work as chairman of the English Institute of Sport, which has helped to develop sports science and sports medicine.
“It was a bit more ad hoc when I was competing,” Cram said Tuesday. “And we realized we needed a sports science and sports medicine-based arm to look at those margins, the little things that make a difference to winning and I believe it has had a positive effect for elite sport right across the country.”
Peters, who won the pentathlon title at the 1972 Munich Olympics, was made a Dame in 2000. She is now made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor for services to sport and the community in Northern Ireland.
Sly, who won silver in the 3,000 at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE, for services to athletics.
Britain’s honors are bestowed by the monarch, but recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.
Contrary to weekend reports, they did not bestow a knighthood on Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003 and retired from the sport earlier this year.
Wilkinson had fueled speculation that he would become “Sir Jonny” by tweeting on Monday: “So many more deserving amongst u who won’t get recognition. To you I say thanks 4 the lessons in life. 4 the messages- u guys are incredible.”
Civil servants will look into why people have been wrongly named by the British media as being honored, with former England captain David Beckham also previously reported to be receiving a knighthood.
“It’s particularly unfair when names get quoted in the papers who then subsequently aren’t on the list,” said Bob Kerslake, the outgoing head of the Civil Service. “In every sense it’s highly regrettable and we will look into this.”