Paralympic Games: Honour more heroes, says PM

Published on 08/09/2012 02:04

PRIME Minister David Cameron wants to use “flexibility” in the honours system to create a separate list to ensure Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes are properly recognised.

In normal years, the number of gongs granted to recognise achievement in different areas of endeavour is limited by guidelines to awarding committees.

Although there is no strict quota, the committee which draws up recommendations for sporting honours, chaired by London 2012 supremo Lord Coe, is asked to put forward around one name for a knighthood, four for CBEs, 20 for OBEs and 38 for MBEs.

Ministers recognise this number of awards will not be adequate to reflect a year in which the nation has been captivated by the triumphs of dozens of Olympic and Paralympic champions.

Ratings Gold

Channel 4 said a record audience of more than six million tuned in to watch Jonnie Peacock’s race on Thursday night, the biggest of the Paralympics so far.

Ratings showed the 100m showdown – which also featured South African Oscar Pistorius – attracted 6.3 million viewers. Including the Paralympic Extra live streams, the peak was 6.7 million.

The figure smashed the previous highest for a live event, which was 4.4 million for Sunday’s 200m race, in which Pistorius lost to Brazilian Alan Oliveira.

David Weir’s 800m race pulled 5.5 million and 4.1 million watched Hannah Cockroft storm to 200m gold.

The combined audience made the broadcaster the most-watched television channel in the UK.