Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) wishes to congratulate the Scottish Paralympic athletes and volunteers who have been named on the 2017 New Year’s Honours list.

There was recognition for Scotland’s gold medallist’s competing as part of ParalympicsGB at the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with Jo Butterfield, Libby Clegg, Karen Darke and Gordon Reid all being awarded MBE’s (Members of the Order of the British Empire).

In January 2016 Gordon Reid won his first ever wheelchair tennis grand slam singles title at the Australian Open, followed closely with his second grand slam victory in the inaugural singles Championships at Wimbledon. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Gordon won the gold medal for the Men’s Wheelchair Singles, beating fellow Briton Alfie Hewitt in straight sets, 6-2 6-1. Gordon receives his MBE for services to Wheelchair Tennis.

Commonwealth Games champion, Libby Clegg,  was reclassified as a T11 athlete due to her deteriorating eye condition in 2016, requiring her to wear a blindfold whilst racing. Alongside guide Chris Clarke she won the T11 100m title and 200m title in Rio. Libby receives her MBE for services to athletics and charity.

Jo Butterfield travelled to Rio as the reigning World and European champion in the F51 Club Throw. At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha she took the gold with a throw of 21.44 to set a championship record. In Rio, she set a new world record to win gold in the F51 Club Throw and was awarded her MBE for services to Field Athletics.

The fourth Scottish Paralympian to be recognised was hand cyclist, Karen Darke who won the gold medal in the Women’s H1-3 Time Trial at the Rio Games in a time of 33:44:93 Karen receives her MBE for services to Sport particularly Cycling and Triathlon.

Also recognised in the 2017 New Year’s Honours were Dr Margo Whiteford, Chair of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland who was awarded a CBE (Commanders of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Healthcare and charity and Michael Cavanagh former Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland for services to Sport and the Commonwealth Games Movement.

Congratulations once again from all at SDS on these well-deserved recognitions.