The Sports Journalists’ Association sends its congratulations to Jackie Brock-Doyle, the director of communications and public affairs at LOCOG, the London Games organisers, who has been named today in the New Year’s Honours List as receiving the OBE.
Brock-Doyle, who had performed a similar task for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, has been a strong and constant supporter of the SJA over the past seven years, assisting the Association with organising a series of site visits and with our international media reception during the summer.
The honours list is dominated by figures from the London Games, with Lord Coe being made a Companion of Honour – one of just 45, including the monarch, in the order.
“In an exceptional year for British sport, the large number of awards for the staff at LOCOG – from Lord Coe, through Paul Deighton and Debbie Jevans, as well as Jackie – through Britain’s great medallists, are well-deserved, and we send our congratulations to them all,” said Steven Downes, the SJA’s honorary secretary.
“We have been well served by Jackie’s hard work with the media team, and we’d like to offer our special congratulations and thanks to her and her colleagues, many of whom are now coming to the end of their terms with LOCOG.”
Many of the prize winners and guests at our British Sports Awards earlier this month also figure prominently, with our Sportsman of the Year Bradley Wiggins knighted, along with British Cycling’s head coach Dave Brailsford, rowing’s performance director Dave Tanner and super-sailor Ben Ainslie, while Sarah Storey, winner of our Bill McGowran Trophy for Paralympic sport, is made a dame.
CBEs go to our Sportswoman of the Year, Jessica Ennis, as well as Katherine Grainger, the joint winner of our President’s Award with Anna Watkins (who gets an MBE), and our other McGowran winner, wheelchair racer David Weir.
“The New Year Honours list marks a wonderful end to this unique Olympic and Paralympic Year. It recognises the achievements of our sportsmen and women who inspired the nation,” Lord Coe said.
“This year’s list also recognises those behind the scenes at LOCOG for outstanding leadership and delivery of the world’s largest sporting events. They are receiving honours in the fields of sport, arts, CVLS and the economy on behalf of their teams and the 8,000 people who delivered the London 2012 Games.
“I am incredibly proud of them all and our partners who made Britain proud this summer,” said Britain’s newest Companion of Honour.