Hugh Robertson knighted for his contribution to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

On the eve of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, it has been announced that Hugh Robertson, the Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent, has been knighted for his work as Olympics Minister during London 2012. The award was made following his decision to step down at the recent government reshuffle and also incorporates his work as Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and Counter Terrorism.

Hugh was one of the two politicians, alongside Dame Tessa Jowell, who saw London 2012 through from bid to delivery. He was Shadow Sports and Olympics Spokesman from 2004 -2010 and then Minister for Sport and the Olympics from 2010 through to the Games themselves. He then spent 2012-2013 overseeing the government aspects of the legacy.

During his time as Minister, Hugh was a key member of the team that delivered the outstanding Games of the modern era. They were delivered ahead of time and over £0.5bn under budget and recalibrated the way that Britain is viewed around the world. They also saw huge success for Team GB, which Hugh oversaw as Minister for Sport, and delivered a legacy described as a ‘blueprint’ by the IOC.

Hugh said:

‘It is both exciting and rather humbling to be knighted for my contribution to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As both the Shadow Minister and latterly as Minister for Sport and the Olympics, I worked on London 2012 for nearly a decade and it was a terrific privilege to be part of the team that delivered such an outstanding event.’