List of sporting knights and dames

This is a list of people who have been knighted by the British honors system for their contribution to sport.

Athletics

• Sir Roger Bannister (1975, Knight Bachelor,[1] 1929–2018)
• Sir Murray Halberg (1988, Knight Bachelor,[2] born 1933)
• Sir Christopher Chataway (1995, Knight Bachelor,[3] 1931–2014)
• Dame Mary Peters (2000, DBE,[4] born 1939)
• Sir Peter Snell (2002, redesignated KNZM from DCNZM 2009,[5][6] 1938–2019)
• Dame Kelly Holmes (2005, DBE,[7] born 1970)
• Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson (2005, DBE,[7] born 1969)
• Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe (2006, KBE,[8] born 1956) *Note: Coe had been made a Life peer in 2000.
• Sir John Walker (2009, KNZM,[9] born 1952)
• Sir Mo Farah (2017, Knight Bachelor,[10][11] born 1983)
• Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (2017, DBE,[10][12] born 1986)
• Dame Valerie Adams (2017, DNZM,[13] born 1984)
• Dame Yvette Corlett (2019, DNZM,[14] 1929–2019) *Note: Corlett had accepted the honour before her death, and it was made effective from the day before her death, not appointed posthumously.

Boxing

• Sir Henry Cooper (2000, Knight Bachelor,[15] 1934–2011)

Cricket

See List of cricketers who were knighted (30)

Cycling

• Sir Chris Hoy (2009, Knight Bachelor,[16] born 1976)
• Dame Sarah Storey (2013, DBE,[17] born 1977)
• Sir Bradley Wiggins (2013, Knight Bachelor,[18] born 1980)
• Sir Hubert Opperman (1904–1996) Note: Opperman was perhaps best known for his cycling achievements, but his Knight Bachelor which made in 1968 was in recognition of his service as Australian High Commissioner to Malta.[19]

Equestrian

• Sir Harry Llewellyn (1997, Knight Bachelor (1911–1999)
• Sir Mark Todd (2013, KNZM,[20] born 1956)
• Sir Lee Pearson (2017, Knight Bachelor,[10][11] born 1974)

Fencing

• Dame Mary Glen-Haig (1993, DBE,[21] 1918–2014)

Football

See List of football personalities with British honours (15 knighthoods)

Golf

• Sir Henry Cotton (1988, Knight Bachelor,[22] 1907–1987) *Note: Cotton had accepted the knighthood before his death, and it was made effective from the date of his death, not appointed posthumously.
• Sir Bob Charles (1999, KNZM,[23] born 1936)
• Sir Nick Faldo (2009, Knight Bachelor,[24] born 1957)
• Dame Laura Davies (2014, DBE,[25] born 1963)

Horse racing

• Sir Gordon Richards (1953, Knight Bachelor,[26] 1904–1986)
• Sir Jack Jarvis (1967, Knight Bachelor,[27] 1887–1968)
• Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort (1968, KCVO,[28] 1887–1983)
• Sir Noel Murless (1977, Knight Bachelor,[29] 1910–1987)
• Sir Peter O'Sullevan (1997, Knight Bachelor,[30] 1918–2015)
• Sir Michael Stoute (1997, Knight Bachelor (born 1945)
• Sir Henry Cecil (2011, Knight Bachelor,[31] 1943–2013)
• Sir Tony McCoy (2016, Knight Bachelor,[32] born 1974)

Motor racing

• Sir Henry Segrave (1929, Knight Bachelor,[33] 1896–1930)
• Sir Malcolm Campbell (1931, Knight Bachelor,[34] 1885–1948)
• Sir Jack Brabham (1978, Knight Bachelor,[35] 1926–2014)
• Sir Frank Williams (1999, Knight Bachelor,[36] born 1942)
• Sir Stirling Moss (2000, Knight Bachelor,[37] 1929–2020)
• Sir Jackie Stewart (2001, Knight Bachelor,[38] born 1939)
• Sir Patrick Head (2015, Knight Bachelor,[39] born 1946)
• Sir Lewis Hamilton (2020, Knight Bachelor, born 1985)

Mountaineering

• Sir Edmund Hillary (1953, KBE,[40] 1919–2008)
• Sir John Hunt (1953, Knight Bachelor,[40] 1910–1988)
• Sir Chris Bonington (1996, Knight Bachelor,[41] born 1934)
• Sir Graeme Dingle (2017, KNZM[42] born 1945)

Netball

• Dame Lois Muir (2004, redesignated DNZM from DCNZM 2009,[5][43] born 1935)
• Dame Noeline Taurua (2020, DNZM,[44] born 1968)

Rowing

• Sir Steve Redgrave (2001, Knight Bachelor,[45] born 1962)
• Sir Matthew Pinsent (2005, Knight Bachelor,[46] born 1970)
• Dame Katherine Grainger (2017, DBE,[10][12] born 1975)

Rugby

• Sir Wilson Whineray (1998, KNZM,[47] 1935–2012)
• Sir Brian Lochore (1999, KNZM,[48] 1940–2019)
• Sir Colin Meads (2001, redesignated KNZM from DCNZM 2009,[5][49] 1936–2017)
• Sir Clive Woodward (2004, Knight Bachelor,[50] born 1956)
• Sir Ian McGeechan (2010, Knight Bachelor,[51] born 1946)
• Sir Fred Allen (2010, KNZM,[52] 1920–2012)
• Sir John Graham (2011, KNZM,[53] 1935–2017)
• Sir Graham Henry (2012, KNZM,[54] born 1946)
• Sir John Kirwan (2012, KNZM,[55] born 1964)
• Sir Gordon Tietjens (2013, KNZM,[56] born 1955)
• Sir Gareth Edwards (2015, Knight Bachelor,[39][57] born 1947)
• Sir Michael Jones (2017, KNZM,[42] born 1965)
• Sir Bryan Williams (2018, KNZM,[58] born 1950)
• Sir Graham Lowe (2019, KNZM,[59] born 1946) *Note: Although known as a rugby league coach, Lowe was knighted for services to youth and education, primarily through his work in the Lowie Foundation.
• Sir Steve Hansen (2020, KNZM,[60] born 1959)

Squash

• Dame Susan Devoy (1998, DNZM,[61] born 1964)

Tennis

• Sir Norman Brookes (1939, Knight Bachelor,[62] 1877–1968)
• Sir Andy Murray (2017, Knight Bachelor,[10][11] born 1987)

Yachting

• Sir Francis Chichester (1967, KBE,[63] 1901–1972)
• Sir Alec Rose (1968, Knight Bachelor,[64] 1908–1991)
• Dame Naomi James (1979, DBE,[65] born 1949)
• Sir James Hardy (1981, Knight Bachelor (born 1932)
• Sir Peter Blake (1995, KBE,[66] 1948–2001)
• Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (1995, Knight Bachelor,[67] born 1939)
• Sir Chay Blyth (1997, Knight Bachelor,[68] born 1940)
• Sir Russell Coutts (2000, redesignated KNZM from DCNZM 2009,[5][69] born 1962)
• Dame Ellen MacArthur (2005, DBE,[70] born 1976)
• Sir Ben Ainslie (2013, Knight Bachelor,[18] born 1977)
• Sir Godfrey Kelly (2020, KCMG, born 1928)

See also

• Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
• List of honorary British knights and dames
• Post-nominal letters

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