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Remembering the sports stars we lost in 2024

A host of figures from the world of sport died in 2024.

Here, we remember some of those sporting names.

AMERICAN SPORT

Larry Christopher Allen Jr: Pro Football Hall of Famer spent 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and was part of the team that won the 1995 Super Bowl.

Joe Bryant: Kobe's father played for the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and the Houston Rockets in the NBA.

Earl Cureton: Two-time NBA champion played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.

Vontae Davis: Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback played for Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills.

Whitey Herzog: Baseball Hall of Famer coached St Louis to three World Series appearances, winning in 1982.

Jacoby Jones: Wide receiver helped Baltimore win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. His 108-yard kick-off return for a touchdown is the longest in Super Bowl history.

Khyree Jackson: Minnesota Vikings cornerback was picked in the fourth round of this year's draft.

Bill Plummer: Won four National League pennants and two World Series for the Cincinnati Reds between 1970 and 1976.

Ronald Powell: Played as a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints.

Pete Rose: Major League Baseball's all-time record holder for hits and a three-time World Series winner. He was also selected for the All-Star Game 17 times in 21 seasons in an unprecedented five different positions across the infield and outfield. However, he was given a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on baseball games in which he had been involved as player or manager.

Golden Richards: NFL wide receiver won the 1977 Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys.

Frank Ryan: NFL quarterback led the Cleveland Browns to their most recent NFL title in 1964.

Willie Mays: Baseball legend was twice declared the league's Most Valuable Player and won the World Series with the New York Giants in 1954. His famous catch during the championship remains one of the most iconic plays.

Dikembe Mutombo: Eight-time NBA All-Star spent 18 years playing in the league for the likes of Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets.

Fernando Valenzuela: Nicknamed 'El Toro' he played 17 Major League Baseball seasons from 1980 to 1997 winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a six-time All-Star and a two-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award.

Bill Walton: NBA Hall of Famer who won two titles with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics. He went on to become one of the sport's biggest broadcasters, winning an Emmy Award.

Carl Weathers: Former NFL linebacker for the Oakland Raiders who went on to star as Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and a host of other Hollywood movies.

Jerry West: The basketball legend's silhouette inspired the iconic NBA logo. He featured in nine NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the title once in 1972. He was also an NBA All-Star in every season of his 14-year playing career.

Pat Zachry: Pitcher was named Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year in the National League in 1976 as the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series.

ATHLETICS

John Anderson: Coached more than 100 Olympic athletes, including David Moorcroft, Liz McColgan and Judy Simpson, and also appeared on Gladiators as a referee.

Shawn Barber: Won high jump gold at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

Kipyegon Bett: Former Under-20 and junior world champion won bronze at the 2017 World Championships.

Geoff Capes: Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist won the World's Strongest Man event in 1983 and 1985. His mark of 21.68m, set in 1980, remains the British shot put record.

Rebecca Cheptegei: Uganda's marathon national record holder competed at the Paris Olympics and was also a former world champion in mountain running.

Otis Davis: American won 400m and 4x400m gold at the 1960 Olympic Games.

Paul Dickenson: One of only five BBC commentators to call Team GB gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics and commentated on every Games from 1992 to 2014. As an athlete, he was a two-time Olympic hammer thrower.

Annelie Ehrhardt: The first Olympic 100m hurdles champion when she won for West Germany in 1972 with a world record of 12.59 seconds.

Robbie Fitzgibbon: Middle distance runner represented Great Britain at several international events, including the 2019 European Indoor Championships.

Jacques Freitag: South African won high jump gold at the 2005 World Championships.

Gervais Hakizimana: Rwandan track and field athlete and coach competed at the World Half Marathon Championships and the World Cross Country Championships.

Alastair Hay: Scottish middle distance runner was a Commonwealth Games 1500m finalist in 2010.

Clement Kemboi: Kenyan middle-distance runner was the 2015 African Games champion in the 3,000m steeplechase.

Brian Kilby: Won gold in the men's marathon at the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games in 1962.

Kelvin Kiptum: Marathon world record-holder beat Eliud Kipchoge's record, setting a mark of two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago in October 2023.

Dallas Long: American won Olympic shot put gold in 1964 and broke the world record 11 times from 1959 to 1965.

Nancy Mackay: Canadian sprinter won bronze in the 4x100m relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Bradley McStravick: Competed in the men's decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.

John Moogan: Coached Tessa Sanderson at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and Sharon Gibson in Los Angeles in 1984.

Joss Naylor: English fell runner set many long-distance records and was known as 'King of the Fells' or 'Iron Man'.

Keith Parker: Competed for England and later the Bahamas in long jump and went on to be their national coach.

Henry Rono: Kenyan set four distance world records across a period of just 81 days in 1978.

Allan Rushmer: Distance runner won Commonwealth bronze over three miles in 1966 and represented Britain at the 1968 Olympics.

Alan Simpson: Finished fourth in the 1964 Olympic 1500m final and was a British record holder in the 1500m, the mile and 2,000m.

Peter Stanley: Coach guided Jonathan Edwards to his triple jump world record and Olympic and world titles.

Leslie Watson: Trailblazer notched up 60 marathon victories around the world and set world records at 50 miles and 100km. She was also part of the BBC commentary team for the London Marathon.

BADMINTON

Judy Hashman: American-born player won 86 national and international titles.

BOXING

Alonzo Butler: American heavyweight enjoyed an unbeaten run of 26 bouts and was a sparring partner of world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Johnny Cooke: Won bronze in the -60kg division at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Alesia Graf: German boxer was the WIBF super flyweight world champion from 2008 to 2009.

Sherif Lawal: London-based boxer died after he collapsed in the ring during his professional debut.

Willie Limond: Ex-British and Commonwealth light welterweight champion won 42 of his 48 professional fights. He was originally a footballer, playing five times for Albion Rovers in the late 1990s.

Ricky Parkey: American was the IBF cruiserweight title holder from 1986 to 1987.

Richie Sandoval: Former WBA bantamweight champion and USA Olympian.

Dingaan Thobela: South African was a world champion at lightweight and super-middleweight.

Vyacheslav Uzelkov: Ukrainian won bronze at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships.

Israel Vazquez: Mexican former world super-bantamweight champion held the IBF, WBC and The Ring super-bantamweight world titles in a 49-fight career that included 44 wins.

CANOEING

Jurg Gotz: Swiss canoeist went on to be a technical and head coach for GB Canoeing for the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

CRICKET

Josh Baker: The 20-year-old Worcestershire spin bowler and England U19 international made two County Championship appearances this season.

Paul Bail: Played first-class cricket for Somerset and for Cambridge University.

Rodney Bernstein: Took 21 wickets in eight appearances for Ireland.

Keith Booth: Was the scorer for Surrey County Cricket Club and international matches played at The Oval between 1995 and 2017. He also wrote a host of cricket biographies.

Andrew Corran: Played for and captained Nottinghamshire and also represented Cambridge University.

Frank Duckworth: His mathematical knowledge helped to revolutionise rain-affected cricket by co-creating the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Duncan Fearnley: Helped Worcestershire win their first County Championship in 1964, and later became a world-renowned bat manufacturer.

Charles Fry. In his playing days he made 50 First Class appearances before serving as MCC president and chair. He later became chair of the MCC Foundation and was made an Honorary Life Vice-President of the club.

Alford Gardner: One of the last surviving Windrush pioneers, he founded Britain's first Caribbean cricket club and was lauded for his work improving community relations in Leeds.

Douglas Goodwin: Played 43 times for Ireland between 1965 and 1975, including 11 first-class matches.

Robin Hobbs: Leg spinner won seven England caps, played 325 first-class matches for Essex between 1961 and 1975, and also captained Glamorgan.

Geoffrey Hickinbottom: Played for Leicestershire.

Norma Izard: Manager of the England Women's team for nine years, signing off after they won the Women's World Cup in 1993. She went on to be the president of the Women's Cricket Association and was one of the first 10 women to be awarded MCC Membership in 1999.

Brian Jackson: Played for Derbyshire from 1963 to 1968 and for the MCC in 1967.

Keith Jennings: Played for Somerset from 1975 to 1981.

Patsy Lovell: Played in all nine of England's matches in the 1988 Women's Cricket World Cup, including the final loss to Australia. She went on to become the senior selector for the England team.

John Moyes: Played Minor Counties Championship cricket for Suffolk and Cumberland.

Mike Murray: Represented Combined Services, Middlesex and Marylebone Cricket Club before serving as Middlesex's treasurer, chairman and president.

Doug Padgett: Won two caps for England and played 487 first-class matches for Yorkshire, scoring 20,306 runs and helping them win seven County Championships.

Ken Palmer: Won one cap for England and played 302 matches for Somerset. He then umpired 22 Tests and 23 one-day internationals from 1977 to 2001.

Mike Procter: Fast bowler played seven Tests for South Africa before they were banned from international cricket in 1970. He spent 14 seasons with Gloucestershire and later coached South Africa on their international return.

Barry Reed: Made 122 first-class appearances for Hampshire from 1965 to 1970.

Charles Robins: Played for Middlesex and later served as the county's chairman and president.

Arthur Robinson: Played 84 first-class matches for Yorkshire.

Neil Standley: Played for Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Kenneth Standring: Appeared in 13 first-class matches for Lancashire.

Raman Subba Row: Won 13 caps for England and went on to become chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board, the forerunner to the ECB. He later became a referee, officiating in 41 Tests and 119 one-day internationals.

Philip Thorn: Played for Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Herefordshire.

Graham Thorpe: Stylish left-handed batter played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005, as well as 82 one-day internationals. He spent his entire first-class playing career between 1988 to 2005 at Surrey.

Graham Tripp: Played for Somerset in the 1950s.

Derek Underwood: One of England's greatest ever bowlers, the slow left-armer took 297 wickets, the most by an English spinner. Nicknamed 'Deadly', he was one of 55 inaugural members inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

CYCLING

Andre Drege: Norwegian cyclist passed away following an accident during the Tour of Austria. He had won seven races this year and was expected to move up to World Tour level in 2025.

Muriel Furrer: Swiss cyclist died after suffering a serious head injury in the junior road race at the World Championships in Switzerland.

Melissa Hoskins. Hoskins was a world champion in the team pursuit in 2015 and a two-time Olympian.

Mick Ives: Amassed 81 British Championship titles and eight World Masters Cycling titles. Represented GB internationally in road racing, track, time trial, mountain biking and cyclo-cross.

DARTS

Tony Green: BBC commentator at the BDO World Championships from 1978 to 2016, and the scorer and announcer on the long-running quiz show Bullseye.

Tomas Seyler: German player, who went on to become a commentator, made four PDC World Championship appearances.

EQUINE SPORTS

Walter Blum: American jockey won 4,382 races in a 22-year career, including the 1971 Belmont Stakes.

Mark Bradstock: Racehorse trainer and wife Sara had many successes, including sending out Coneygree to become the first novice to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for more than 40 years in 2015.

Georgie Campbell: She died after falling from her horse at the Bicton International Horse Trials in Devon.

Stefano Cherchi: Sardinian jockey died aged 23, two weeks after a fall during a meeting in Australia. He rode more than 100 winners in Britain before relocating to Australia at the start of the year.

Keagan Kirkby: He died after falling in a point-to-point race in Kent. He was shortlisted for the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in the rider/groom category.

Claire Lomas: Campaigner raised nearly £1m for charity after being paralysed in a horse riding accident.

Lesley McNaught-Mandli: English-born show jumper represented Switzerland and was part of their team which won silver at the 2000 Olympics.

Maureen Mullins. Matriarch of the legendary Mullins family, she was also a winning rider, owner and breeder herself.

FENCING

Daniel Revenu: French fencer was a medallist in four successive Olympics, winning one gold and five bronzes.

James Williams: Fenced for Great Britain at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, and went on to work as the team manager and the strength and conditioning lead for GB Fencing.

FOOTBALL

Billy Abercromby: Played more than 300 times for St Mirren and was part of the team that won the 1987 Scottish Cup.

Dylan Akue: Midfielder played for Sheppey United and had also been on the books of Chatham Town.

Terry Allcock: Forward played for Bolton Wanderers and Norwich City, and also played cricket for Norfolk.

Marco Angulo: Three-cap Ecuador international died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash.

Bob Appleby: Goalkeeper played for Middlesbrough and Carlisle.

Graham Bailey: Turned professional aged 17 in 1937 and went on to play for Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United.

George Baker: Named in the Wales squad for the 1958 World Cup and played for Plymouth and Shrewsbury.

George Baldock: Panathinaikos defender won 12 caps for Greece and made 219 appearances for Sheffield United, twice helping them to promotion to the Premier League.

Tommy Baldwin: Won the FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup with Chelsea. Also played for Arsenal, Millwall, Manchester United and Brentford.

Sol Bamba: Defender played for Leeds United, Leicester City, Cardiff City, Hibernian and Ivory Coast, and went on to work for Turkish club Adanaspor as a technical director.

Chas Banks: Long-serving secretary of Manchester United's Disabled Supporters' Association.

Tommy Banks: Believed to be England's oldest living former international, winning six caps and playing at the 1958 World Cup. He also played 255 times for Bolton Wanderers.

Ron Baynham: Three-cap England international played 434 times for Luton.

Franz Beckenbauer: Won the World Cup as captain of West Germany in 1974 and lifted the trophy again as manager in 1990. Nicknamed 'Der Kaiser', as a player he also won the European Championship in 1972, as well as the Ballon d'Or twice. As a player at Bayern Munich, he won four league titles and was captain for the German giants' three European Cup wins in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Paul Bence: His clubs included Brighton & Hove Albion, Reading, Brentford and Torquay United.

Peter Bennett: Played for West Ham and Leyton Orient before a stint in the North American Soccer League with St. Louis Stars.

Sir Howard Bernstein: Former Manchester City Council chief executive was also honorary president of Manchester City and was a former president of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Russell Blake: Played as a winger for Colchester United.

Mel Blyth: Won the FA Cup with Southampton in 1976 and also played for the likes of Scunthorpe United, Crystal Palace and Millwall.

Dmytro Bohachov: Ukrainian midfielder played for PFC Sumy, FC Trostianets and Orleta Radzyn Podlaski, as well as representing Ukraine's Under-20 side.

Stan Bowles: Charismatic showman played 560 games in English football, including 315 for Queens Park Rangers. He was capped five times by England.

Paul Bradshaw: Goalkeeper's clubs included Blackburn Rovers, Wolves, West Brom and Bristol Rovers.

Andreas Brehme: German scored the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final. He won league titles while at Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

John Brown: Goalkeeper for Preston North End, Stockport County, Wigan Athletic and Macclesfield Town.

Viv Busby: His clubs included Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town, Newcastle United, Fulham, Norwich City, Stoke City and Sheffield United.

Barry Butler: Played for Chester City.

Tommy Callaghan: Midfielder won six successive league titles with Celtic and was the only player Jock Stein ever signed twice.

Kevin Campbell: Scored 148 goals in 542 appearances across spells with eight clubs during his career, including winning four major trophies with Arsenal. After retiring, he moved into broadcasting.

Willie Carlin: Made more than 400 appearances in the Football League for the likes of Liverpool, Carlisle, Sheffield United, Derby and Leicester.

Tommy Cassidy: Spent 10 years with Newcastle and won 24 caps for Northern Ireland, playing at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Jose Castillejo: Former Valencia youth player was killed in the floods in Spain. He had also played for Eldense, Paterna, CD Bunol, Recam Colon and Torre Levante.

Martin Cearns: Chairman of West Ham United in the early 1990s.

Len Choules: Made 259 league appearances for Crystal Palace and also played non-league football for Sutton United and Romford.

Tommy Clish: Former goalkeeper for Darlington.

Gerard Collins: Played for Stranraer, Albion Rovers, Ayr United, Hamilton Academical, and Partick Thistle.

Mick Collins: Defender's clubs included Luton, Chelmsford City and Bedford Town.

Denis Connaghan: Scottish goalkeeper played for Celtic, St Mirren, Morton and Clyde.

Peter Cormack: Claimed nine Scotland caps and won two league titles, the Uefa Cup and FA Cup with Liverpool. He managed Partick Thistle, Anorthosis, Botswana, Cowdenbeath and Greenock Morton.

Justin Cornejo: Ecuadorian goalkeeper played for Barcelona SC in his homeland.

Mick Cullen: Won one cap for Scotland and played for Luton Town and Grimsby Town.

Frank D'Arcy: Left-back made five appearances as Everton won the First Division title in the 1969–70 season. He also played for Tranmere.

Denilson: Won nine Brazil caps and played in the 1966 World Cup.

Jim Doherty: Played for Kilmarnock, Queen of the South and Stranraer.

John Dempsey: Defender and Republic of Ireland international made 171 appearances for Fulham in the 1960s before moving to Chelsea where he won the FA Cup in 1970 and scored the decisive goal in the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

John Docherty: The only Millwall manager to take the club to the top flight of English football, having led them to promotion in 1988. Played for Brentford, Sheffield United, Reading and Queens Park Rangers.

Derek Draper: Welshman played for Chester City, Swansea and Derby.

Tommy Duncan: Played for Airdrieonians, Falkirk and Newport County, and also managed Queen's Park.

Alex Edwards. Played for the likes of Dunfermline, Hibernian and Arbroath. He was inducted into the Hibernian Hall of Fame.

Trevor Edwards: Part of the Wales squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and played for Charlton and Cardiff.

Miguel Ledo Elvira: Captained Sociedad Deportiva Logrones.

Sven-Goran Eriksson: England manager led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals at three major tournaments during his five-year spell in charge between 2001 and 2006. He managed 12 clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester, Roma and Lazio, winning 18 trophies.

Bernie Fagan: Began his career with Northampton and Scarborough before heading to America where he played for the likes of Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Aztecs.

Oscar Fairs. West Ham academy goalkeeper died aged 15 after a battle with cancer.

Norman Bodell. He played for the likes of Rochdale, Crewe Alexandra and Halifax Town before moving into management, coaching and scouting.

Luke Fleurs: South African defender was shot dead in a car hijacking. The former Under-23 international represented his country at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Derek Forster: Goalkeeper played for Sunderland, Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Clive Freeman: Played for Swansea City, Carlisle United, Altrincham, and Doncaster Rovers.

Roy Greaves: Played 495 league games for Bolton Wanderers between 1965-80, scoring 66 goals. He later played for Seattle Sounders and Rochdale.

Vic Gomersall. Played for Manchester City, Swansea and Llanelli.

Gonzalo Gomez: Goalkeeper's clubs included SD Logrones, Calahorra and Naxara.

Stuart Gray: Played as a full-back for Celtic and Reading, and won seven Scotland Under-21 caps.

Brian Grundy: Played for Wigan, Bury and a host of non-league clubs.

George Herd: Won five caps for Scotland and played for Inverness Thistle, Queen's Park, Clyde, Sunderland, Vancouver Royal Canadians and Hartlepool United.

Ian Hamilton: Midfielder played for Chelsea, Southend United, Aston Villa and Sheffield United.

Peter Handyside: Defender played for Grimsby, Stoke and Barnsley.

Steven Hardwick: Goalkeeper played for the likes of Newcastle, Oxford United and Huddersfield Town.

Stephen Harney: Played as a right-back for Bradford.

Ray Henderson: Played for Middlesbrough, Hull and Reading.

Phil Hoadley: Defender played for Crystal Palace, Leyton Orient and Norwich City.

Paul Holmes: Made more than 400 appearances for the likes of Doncaster Rovers, Torquay United, Birmingham City, Everton and West Bromwich Albion.

Brian Honeywood: Defender played for Colchester United and Chelmsford City.

Niall Hopper: Played for Queen's Park and represented Scotland at amateur level as well as playing three times for Great Britain.

Bobby Hoy: Midfielder represented Huddersfield Town, Halifax Town, Blackburn Rovers, York City and Rochdale.

Charles Hughes: Served as the director of coaching for the Football Association. He authored the FA's official coaching manual and was an early developer of long-ball tactics, which were widely adopted.

Charlie Hurley: Named Sunderland's 'Player of the Century' by fans in 1979. He won 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland, and ended his playing career at Bolton Wanderers, going on to manage Reading.

Jimmy Husband: Helped Everton win the 1969-70 First Division title and the 1968 FA Cup final. He also played 162 times for Luton before playing in the USA.

John Hurst: Played 349 league games for Everton and started the 1968 FA Cup final. He also played for Oldham.

Juan Izquierdo: Centre-back from Uruguay collapsed whilst playing for Nacional in a Copa Libertadores game.

David Jackson: Forward played at Wrexham, Bradford City and Halifax.

Leighton James: Capped 54 times by Wales, he played 399 games for Burnley in three spells. His other clubs included Derby County, QPR and Swansea, before he went on to manage Morecambe and Accrington.

Ken Jenkin: Played on the wing for Grimsby.

Peter Johnson: Former Tranmere Rovers owner and Everton chairman.

Alan Kell: Played for Darlington, going on to join non-league Spennymoor and Whitby in the 1970s and 1980s.

Billy Kellock: Scotsman's clubs included Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Norwich City, Millwall, Luton Town and Wolves.

Keith Kennedy. He began refereeing in 2007 and officiated his first Irish League match at the age of 21. He officiated the international friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar at the Aviva Stadium in November 2021.

Sir Chips Keswick: Lifelong supporter of Arsenal, he joined the board in 2005 and accepted the role of chairman in 2013 when Peter Hill-Wood stepped down.

Joe Kinnear: Managed the likes of Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Luton and Nottingham Forest. As a player, he won 26 caps for the Republic of Ireland and made 258 appearances for Tottenham, winning the FA Cup, the League Cup twice and the Uefa Cup.

Alex Kinninmonth: Played for Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic and Forfar Athletic.

Keith Lamb: Former chief executive of Middlesbrough, he worked for the club from 1986 until 2011, overseeing their first major cup success, playing in a European final and the move to the Riverside Stadium.

Ian Lawson: Forward won the First Division title with Burnley in 1959–60 and the Second Division with Leeds United in 1963–64.

Peter Leigh: Once held the record for most first-team appearances for Crewe, and also played for Manchester City.

Glan Letheren: Goalkeeper was on Leeds United's bench for the 1975 European Cup final against Bayern Munich. He later played for the likes of Scunthorpe United, Chesterfield and Swansea City, as well as managing Wales' women's national team.

Jim Liddle: Played for Cowdenbeath, Forfar Athletic, Meadowbank Thistle and Hamilton.

Alan Little: Made more than 400 appearances for the likes of Southend United and Barnsley. He then moved into management, most notably with York City.

Larry Lloyd: Part of the Nottingham Forest side that won the First Division in 1977-78 before going on to claim back-to-back European Cups. The England international also won the title and the Uefa Cup at Liverpool.

Barry Lloyd: Fulham captain also played for Brentford, Hereford United and Chelsea. He went on to manage Brighton & Hove Albion, Worthing and Yeovil Town.

Mal Lucas: Won four Wales caps and played for Leyton Orient, Norwich City and Torquay United.

Brian Makepeace: Captained Doncaster Rovers in the 1950s.

Sam Malcolmson: Scot played for Airdrieonians, Queen of the South and Albion Rovers before becoming a New Zealand international and facing his home country in the 1982 World Cup.

Iain McChesney: Longest serving player in Queen of the South's history, making 615 appearances from 1960 to 1981.

John McClelland: Played for the likes of Lincoln City, Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Newport County.

Jimmy McDonald: Played for Dumbarton, Gillingham and Morton.

Jim McLaughlin: Only football manager to win all of Ireland's domestic trophies in a single season, leading Derry to an unequalled treble of the league, League Cup and FAI Cup in 1989. He scored six goals in 12 appearances for Northern Ireland.

Ian McMillan: The 'Wee Prime Minister' played more than 200 times for Rangers, scoring 55 goals, and winning two league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups. He won six Scotland caps.

John McNamee: Played for the likes of Celtic, Hibernian, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Hartlepool United. He won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 with Newcastle.

Terry Medwin: Forward played 30 times for Wales and scored the winning goal against Hungary in the 1958 World Cup. He was also part of the Spurs squad that won the league and cup double in 1961.

David Mehmet: Midfielder played for Millwall, Charlton Athletic, and Gillingham.

Ian Mellor: Winger played for the likes of Manchester City, Norwich City and Brighton.

Harry Melrose: Winger played once for Rangers before making his name at Dunfermline Athletic and going on to captain Aberdeen.

Cesar Luis Menotti: Menotti guided Argentina to victory on home soil at the 1978 World Cup. He also managed Barcelona and had spells in Italy, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina.

Eddie Mitchell: Former owner and chairman of AFC Bournemouth.

Melika Mohammadi: Defender won five caps for Iran and was part of the squad that went to the AFC Women's Asian Cup in India in 2022.

Dave Moyes: Defender played for Berwick Rangers, Meadowbank Thistle, and Dunfermline Athletic.

Liam Munroe: Won one cap for the Republic of Ireland, with his clubs including Shamrock Rovers and Ards.

Zara Murphy: Drogheda teenager died after collapsing during a Louth School Girls League game between Termonfeckin and Glen Magic.

Johan Neeskens: Gifted midfielder was part of the Ajax and Netherlands teams credited with creating 'total football' in the 1970s.

Idris Niblett: Welsh footballer made 244 appearances for Hereford United from 1956-1962, and was part of the team that won the Southern League cup in 1959.

Chris Nicholl: Won 51 caps for Northern Ireland and was part of the team that reached the World Cup finals in 1982. He played for Burnley, Aston Villa and Southampton, before going onto manage the Saints and Walsall.

Danny O'Donnell: Played for Brentford, Brechin City and hometown club Dumbarton.

Lord Ouseley: Founded Kick It Out - then called Let's Kick Racism Out of Football - in 1993, and chaired the charity for 25 years. He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until his retirement in 2019, and also served as the chief executive for the Race Equality Commission.

Sir Jack Petchey: Former owner of Watford Football Club and charity founder.

Kath Phipps:. Worked in a variety of roles in a 55-year spell at Manchester United, where she achieved legendary status with players and staff.

Lenny Piper: Played for the likes of Wimbledon, Gillingham and Dagenham and Redbridge. Won five England Under-18 caps.

Fred Potter: Goalkeeper played for Aston Villa, Doncaster and Burton.

Luigi Riva: Nicknamed 'Roar of Thunder', he is Italy's record scorer, having netted 35 goals in 42 appearances for the Azzurri. He helped Cagliari to their only Serie A title in 1970.

Dudley Roberts: Played for Coventry, Mansfield, Doncaster and Scunthorpe.

Jim Rodger: Played for Rangers, St Mirren, Newport County, Hearts, Queen of the South and East Fife.

Len Roe: Was both a player and coach at Brentford.

Dickie Rooks: Played for Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Bristol City as well as managing Scunthorpe.

Fran Rooney: Former chief executive officer of the Football Association of Ireland. Played for Shamrock Rovers, Home Farm and St Patrick's Athletic.

Andy Rowland: Played for Derby County, Bury and Swindon Town.

Serhiy Rozhok: Ukrainian professional footballer was killed in action fighting against Russia. He represented Ukraine at the 2004 European Under-19 Championship and 2005 World Youth Championship.

Matija Sarkic: Goalkeeper made 33 appearances for Millwall last season. The nine-cap Montenegro international joined the Championship club from Wolves.

Salvatore Schillaci: Italian was the top scorer at his home World Cup in 1990 with six goals. Italy lost in the semi-finals, but Schillaci was also awarded the Golden Ball as the best player, and gained hero status.

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger: Played in four World Cups, including the 1966 final, and won 47 caps for Germany.

Craig Shakespeare: Claudio Ranieri's assistant in 2015-16 when Leicester won the Premier League and later managed the club. He also worked for the likes of West Brom, Aston Villa and Norwich and had a spell as England's assistant boss in 2016. He played for Walsall, West Brom and Grimsby.

Gary Shaw: Helped Aston Villa win the 1981 league title and the European Cup in 1982, scoring 79 goals in 213 games for the Villans. He was was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1981 and European Young Player of the Year in 1982.

Bohdan Shershun: Won four caps for Ukraine and played for CSKA Moscow and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Ally Shewan: Made exactly 300 appearances for Aberdeen between 1963-69. He made an incredible run of 238 consecutive games for the club.

Frank Sibley: Member of the QPR side that captured both the Third Division Championship in 1966–67 and the League Cup.

Granville Smith: Welshman's clubs included Newport County and Bristol Rovers.

Ray Smith: Inside forward played for the likes of Hull City, Peterborough United, Northampton Town and Luton Town.

Steve Smith: Played for Huddersfield Town and Halifax Town and then managed Huddersfield and Bradford City.

Rodney Smithson: Defender started at Arsenal before going on to play for Oxford United.

Jan Sorensen: Denmark international played for the likes of Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Ajax, and went on to manage Walsall.

Alex South: Played for Brighton, Liverpool and Halifax Town.

Ron Stockin: Played for Walsall, Wolves, Cardiff and Grimsby.

Charlie Strutton: Striker played for AFC Wimbledon and then a host of non-league clubs including Maidenhead and Braintree.

Gerry Summers: Played for the likes of West Brom, Sheffield United, Hull City and Walsall and also coached at Oxford United, Gillingham, Derby County and Leicester City.

Tibor Szabo: Clubs included Bradford City, Macclesfield Town, Morecambe and Accrington Stanley.

Bobby Thomson: Scotsman played most of his professional career in the West Midlands, making more than 300 appearances in total for Birmingham City and Aston Villa.

Holden Trent: Philadelphia Union goalkeeper played with the academies of USL clubs Charlotte Independence and South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Alan Westwater: Scotland-born, he played for Stirling Albion before moving to Australia where he won 14 caps for their national team.

Gary Willard: Premier League referee from 1994-1999 and on the Fifa list of officials from 1996-1999.

Jeff Whitefoot: Busby Babe was a member of Manchester United's 1952 and 1956 title-winning sides and went on to win the 1959 FA Cup with Forest.

Trevor Whymark: Scored 104 goals in 335 appearances for Ipswich Town and won one England cap.

Ron Yeats: Two-cap Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side under manager Bill Shankly that won two top-flight titles and the FA Cup. He played 454 games for the Reds.

Tony Young: Made 181 league appearances for the likes of Manchester United, Charlton Athletic and York City.

Mario Zagallo: Brazilian football legend was the first person to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. He was a winger in the Brazil team who won back-to-back World Cups in 1958 and 1962 and then led the team to glory in 1970.

GAELIC SPORT

P J Carroll: Gaelic footballer won three Cavan Senior titles with Cavan Gaels in 1965, 1975 and 1977.

Mick Crotty: Hurler won six Leinster titles, one National Hurling League title and four All-Ireland titles, and also won an All Star award in 1974.

Jody Gormley: The Trillick man guided his native club to the Tyrone Senior Football title last year.

John O Mahony. He won a pair of All-Ireland titles with Galway lifting Sam Maguire in 1998 and 2001. The first of those successes ended the county's 32-year wait for the game's biggest prize.

Micheal O Muircheartaigh. He was Irish broadcaster RTE's premier radio commentator from 1985 until his last All-Ireland final in 2010.

Mick Waters: Hurler was part of the Cork squad which won the 1966 All Ireland Final.

GOLF

Maurice Bembridge: Englishman played in four Ryder Cups and won six times on the European Tour. He equalled Augusta's course record at the 1974 Masters with a 64.

Susie Berning: Won four major championships and a further 11 LPGA Tour events. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022.

Jeanne Bisgood: Won the English Women's Amateur Championship three times, and played in the three Curtis Cups.

Jack Burke Jr: American staged the biggest final-round fightback in Masters history when he triumphed from eight strokes adrift in 1956, the year he also won the US PGA Championship.

Mark Carnevale: One-time PGA Tour winner and PGA Rookie of the Year went on to be a successful commentator.

John Cockin: Won the Penfold Tournament in 1967 and the Dutch Open in 1968.

Malcolm Gregson: Won the 1967 European Order of Merit and qualified for the Ryder Cup. He went on to win five times on the European Senior Tour.

Brian Huggett: Welsh golfer played in six Ryder Cups and finished second in the 1965 Open Championship. He was also part of the team that brought the Ryder Cup to Wales in 2010.

Grayson Murray: Two-time PGA Tour winner also won three straight Junior World Championships from 2006-08.

Peter Oosterhuis: Twice a runner-up at the Open, he topped the European Tour's Order of Merit from 1971 to 1974.

Juan 'Chi Chi' Rodriguez. World Golf Hall of Famer came from humble roots in Puerto Rico to collect 30 career victories across the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.

Stephanie Sparks: All-American college and US Curtis Cup player hosted several Golf Channel programmes.

GYMNASTICS

Marion James: Funded Alderwood Gymnastics Club with her husband John. Gymnasts they coached won many titles and competed at the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and World and European Championships.

HOCKEY

PJ Wilson: Competed at the 1968 Olympics, and also played two first-class cricket matches for Oxford University.

David Savage: Played as goalkeeper for Great Britain at the 1972 summer Olympics.

MEDIA

Bill Arthur: Worked for Sky Sports for more than 30 years on their rugby league coverage and became their lead commentator in 2019. Originally a journalist, he also worked in radio for Metro Radio and Radio City.

Ronald Atkin: Former sports editor of the Observer and the 1983 winner of the Sports Journalists' Association Journalist of the Year award.

Rodger Bailie: Began his career as a Glasgow Evening News 'copy boy' aged 15, going on to become the Scottish Sun's chief sports writer. He also served as president of the Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA).

Steve Bale: Reported on more than 400 rugby internationals all over the world, including 16 England tours, seven rugby World Cups and seven British & Irish Lions tours.

Mike Blair: Former editor of the Birmingham Post had also worked as the paper's golf and rugby correspondent.

Bob Brunskell: Southampton correspondent at the Southern Daily Echo also edited a number of books about the club.

Mike Dickson: Tennis correspondent of the Daily Mail, who also covered 30 different sports in a lengthy association with the paper. He also authored a number of books.

John Dillon: Chief sports writer at the Express.

Alastair Down: Worked for the Sporting Life and Racing Post across four decades and was part of Channel 4's racing team. He is the only journalist to have won the Racing Writer of the Year award on five occasions and recently had the press room at Cheltenham Racecourse named after him.

Ewing Grahame: Regular contributor to the Sunday Times, he worked for the Sun and the Daily Record and was chief football writer for the Herald.

Allan Herron: Spent nearly 55 years in newspapers and broadcasting. He was the Sunday Mail's chief sportswriter and also worked for the Sunday People.

Sam Landsberger: Herald Sun journalist was killed in a traffic accident in his native Australia.

Brian Marjoribanks: Former Hibernian and Hearts player became an actor and BBC Scotland sports presenter.

Brian McNally: Chief sports writer at Newcastle daily the Journal and sister title the Sunday Sun before working for the Mirror and Sunday People.

Bert Mitchell: Author and squash journalist worked for the Glasgow Times.

Chris Mortensen: Award-winning journalist covered the NFL for four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN.

Peter Moss: Worked for the Daily Mail for 37 years, including spells as their sports news editor and boxing correspondent.

Jonathan Neesom: Appeared on the original Racing Channel and was a familiar face on Racing TV. He also wrote for the Racing Post and the Sporting Life.

Bob Pryce: Sports journalist at the Guardian for 20 years.

Graham Russell: Covered Gloucestershire cricket for more than half a century. He worked for the Sunday People, in television for TWW and HTV and on BBC Radio Bristol.

Hugh Southon: Ghost-wrote the late Bobby Moore's newspaper column in the Sunday Sport and worked for a host of national newspapers.

Alan Smith: Former deputy sports editor of the People also worked for the Daily Express and Daily Mirror.

MOTORSPORT

Bobby Allison: American Hall of Fame racing driver was a NASCAR Cup Series champion in 1983 and a three-time Daytona 500 winner.

Graham Drury: Welsh international motorcycle speedway rider and team manager. He earned one international cap for the England national speedway team.

Carles Falcon: Motorcyclist died after crashing in the Dakar Rally.

Wilson Fittipaldi Jr: Brazilian participated in 38 Formula 1 grands prix and ran the Fittipaldi Formula 1 team between 1974 and 1982.

Anthony Gobert: Australian became the youngest ever World Superbike Race race winner at the age of 19. He won eight WSB races and stood on the Superbike podium 16 times in 57 appearances between 1994 and 2000.

Rodney Gould: British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and UK short circuit specialist won the world 250cc title in 1970.

Rupert Keegan: Took part in 37 Formula 1 grands prix.

Rufus 'Parnelli' Jones: American won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and owner.

John Louis: Earned 54 caps for the England speedway team and four caps for Great Britain. He later managed the England national team from 1994 to 1998.

Mary McGee: American motorsport racing pioneer was the first woman to compete in motorcycle road racing and motocross events in the United States. She was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018.

Peter Procter: His motor racing pedigree included Monte Carlo rallies, Le Mans 24-hour races and Formula 2 races with Lotus. He also pioneered the use of flameproof overalls after being badly burned in a crash. A national champion cyclist, he rode for GB at the 1952 World Championships.

Louis O'Regan: Irishman died after a crash during the opening qualifying session of the 2024 Manx Grand Prix.

Alan Rees: Participated in three World Championship grands prix in the 1960s and also competed in Formula 2.

Tommy Robb. He was a former Isle of Man TT and Ulster GP race winner.

Ewy Rosqvist: Swedish trailblazer was the winner of the European women's rally championship in 1959 and 1961. In 1962, she and her co-driver Ursula Wirth finished first out of 257 entrants in the Gran Premio Argentina for touring cars.

Len Silver: English motorcycle speedway rider and promoter also served as the team manager for the England and Great Britain national speedway team.

Vic White: Former speedway rider later became the president of the World Speedway Riders' Association and also secretary and treasurer.

PARA SPORT

Will Arnott: BC3 boccia player made his Paralympic debut in Paris this summer in the singles and pairs events. By the end of the 2024 season, he was placed seventh in the world boccia rankings.

Matt Berry: He first represented Boccia UK at the 2023 Poznan Challenger, while 12 months later he won gold at the same tournament in the BC3 Pairs event with Robyn McBride. In October 2024, he won individual gold at the Olbia Challenger in Italy.

Michal Dabrowski: Polish wheelchair fencer won two medals at the Paralympic Games in Paris with silver in the individual sabre B and bronze in the epee B event.

Anne Ebbs: Irishwoman won two Para-table tennis silvers and one bronze across three Paralympic Games. She founded the Paralympic Council of Ireland in 1987 and was the organisation's secretary general until 2008.

Charles Herd: With wife Eleanor they won the Deaf British Mixed Doubles Championships in badminton and represented England at golf.

Eleanor Herd: Represented GB at tennis in the Deaf World Games (now Deaf Olympics) and won medals at other international competitions.

Joana Neves: Brazilian won 15 medals in World Para-swimming Championships. She also won two silvers and three bronze medals across the London, Rio and Tokyo Paralympics.

James Rawson: Six-time Paralympian was one of Great Britain's most successful Para-table tennis players, winning five medals including gold in the men's class 3 team event with Neil Robinson and Phillip Evans in Barcelona in 1992.

Karl-Josef Weissenfels: German Paralympic volleyball player won three golds in 1988, 1992 and 1996.

ROWING

Penny Chuter: Won silver in the single at the women's European Rowing Championships. She later became Great Britain's first-ever paid female rowing coach, and was given FISA's Distinguished Service to International Rowing award.

RUGBY LEAGUE

Malcolm Alker: Spent his entire career with Salford, making 292 appearances, and was named captain when he was 21. He won two caps for England in 2005.

Keith Barnes: Known as 'Golden Boots', the Port Talbot-born player won 14 caps for Australia, 12 of which were as captain.

Harvey Burnett: London Broncos and Bradford Bulls player earned four caps for Scotland and had a spell in rugby union with Esher.

Rob Burrow: Rugby league legend had a stellar 17-year career with Leeds Rhinos that included winning eight Super League Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups. In 2022 Burrow was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year ceremony for his efforts in fundraising and raising awareness of motor neurone disease after being diagnosed with the illness himself.

John Etty: Played at representative level for British Empire XIII and Yorkshire, and at club level for Batley, Oldham and Wakefield Trinity.

Bill Francis: Wales and Great Britain international made 400 appearances for Wigan, scoring 159 tries. He also played for St Helens, where he was player-coach in 1979-80, before finishing his career at Salford.

Peter Glynn: Played twice for England and featured 258 times for St Helens winning the Premiership final and Challenge Cup.

Ken Gill: Great Britain and England international played 271 times in two stints with Salford and won two Championships, the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy and the Lancashire Cup. He also won the Division One title with Widnes.

Robert Greenough: Member of Great Britain's triumphant World Cup squad of 1960. He made 232 appearances for Warrington, scoring 136 tries.

Keith Hepworth: Played 11 times for Great Britain including in a World Cup final. He won the Challenge Cup with Castleford in 1969 and 1970, playing 329 games for the Tigers.

Syd Hynes: He played 355 times for Leeds, 13 times for Great Britain and four for England. He then returned to coach the club to two Challenge Cup triumphs.

Lewis Jones: Dual-code rugby international won 10 caps for Wales and three for the British Lions in rugby union, and two for Wales and 15 for Great Britain in rugby league.

Brian Lockwood: Won the Challenge Cup with Castleford and Hull KR. Great Britain and England international won the World Cup with Great Britain in 1972.

Phil Lowe: Won the Challenge Cup and league title with Hull KR. He also won 12 caps for Great Britain, helping them win the 1972 World Cup final, and five for England.

Abe Terry: Played 11 times for Great Britain and won the Challenge Cup and league honours with St Helens. He also played for Featherstone and Castleford.

Rob Valentine: Dual code star played union for South of Scotland before switching and winning a Great Britain cap in league, in which he played for Huddersfield, Wakefield Trinity and Keighley.

Darryl van de Velde: Former Castleford, Huddersfield and Warrington head coach took Castleford to the 1992 Challenge Cup final.

Kathleen Wharton: Member of New Zealand's 2008 women's rugby league World Cup-winning squad and also played in the 2013 final.

RUGBY UNION

Ian Buckett: Prop won three senior caps for Wales in the 1990s and made nine Wales A appearances.

Kevin Bowring: Became Wales' first full-time professional coach when he took over in late 1995 and led them in 29 matches. He played for London Welsh 268 times.

Rory Burke: Former Ireland Under-19 and Under-20 prop played for Cork Constitution, Munster, Nottingham, Connacht.

Alun Carter: Pontypool and Newport flanker won two caps for Wales. He later became a distinguished sport analyst and worked as part of the Welsh set-up.

Ronnie Dawson: Ireland skipper led the Lions on their 1959 tour, with his six Tests as captain a record until it was equalled by Martin Johnson. He was the first coach of Ireland in 1969.

Bev Dovey: Won two caps for England in their title-winning 1963 Five Nations campaign.

Mike Gavins: Full-back won one England cap and played 121 games for Leicester Tigers.

Peter Glover: Winger won three caps for England between 1967 and 1971.

Derrick Grant: Former Scotland flanker won 14 international caps and went on to take charge of the national team for a three-year spell from 1985.

Norm Hewitt: New Zealand hooker made 23 appearances for the All Blacks, including nine Test matches.

Barry John: Wales and Lions legend won three Five Nations titles, a Grand Slam and two Triple Crowns. Known as the 'The King', he retired aged just 27.

Nic Labuschagne: Hooker won five caps for England in the 1950s.

Ken MacAulay: This year he retrospectively received a cap 44 years after being picked for a Scotland squad.

Courtenay Meredith: The last survivor of the Wales team which beat New Zealand in 1953 - a feat the country has not repeated since. He toured South Africa with the Lions in 1955 and played four Tests as part of an all-Wales front-row with Billy Williams and Bryn Meredith.

Derek Morgan: Helped England win the Five Nations in 1960. He was an England chairman of selectors and had a stint as president of the Rugby Football Union.

Peter Morgan: Won five caps for Wales and toured South Africa with the Lions in 1980. The utility back played in every three-quarter position for both Wales and the Lions.

Sir Tony O'Reilly: Made his Ireland debut in 1955 and became the youngest player to be selected for the Lions aged 18. His 37 tries is the highest tally by a Lions player, while his six tries in ten Tests is also another long-standing record.

John O'Shea: Capped five times by Wales and was selected for the 1968 Lions tour to South Africa.

Malcolm Price: Wales and Lions international turned professional with Oldham rugby league in 1962 and was capped twice by Great Britain.

Jack Rowell: In charge of England from 1994 to 1997 winning two Five Nations Grand Slams and reaching the World Cup semis in 1995. He coached Bath to eight cups and five league championships.

Donald Scott: Won 10 caps for Scotland between 1950 and 1953.

John Wackett: Hooker won two England caps during the 1959 Six Nations.

Chris Wardlow: Six-cap England international played for Northampton and Coventry. Selected for the British Lions in 1971, he missed out due to injury.

JPR Williams: Legendary figure of Welsh rugby won 55 caps and captained his country. He was a key figure as the Lions won tours to New Zealand in 1971 and 1974 in South Africa.

SAILING

Tony Morgan: Won silver at the 1964 summer Olympics for Great Britain in the Flying Dutchman class, alongside Keith Musto.

Farrel O'Shea: Windsurfer holds the British speed sailing record for all sail-powered craft.

JJ Rice: Due to compete for Tonga in kitefoiling at the 2024 Olympics but died in a diving accident ahead of the Games.

SKATEBOARDING

Patti McGee: American professional skateboarder was the first winner of the USA's Women's National Skateboard Championship in 1964. She was the first woman inducted into the IASC Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

SNOOKER

Clive Everton: Worked for BBC TV for more than 30 years as a commentator. He also founded Snooker Scene magazine and edited the publication for 51 years, and was the Guardian's snooker correspondent. He wrote more than 20 books on cue sports.

Terry Griffiths: Welshman won the 1979 World Championship as a qualifier. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982 to complete a Triple Crown.

John Hargreaves: Won the Pontins Spring Open in 1981 before turning professional.

Ray Reardon: Welshman dominated snooker in the 1970s, claiming a then record six world titles between 1970 and 1978. He later acted as a consultant for Ronnie O'Sullivan, helping him win the world title in 2004.

Mark Wildman: Won numerous British billiards titles before claiming the World Championship in 1984. In snooker, he made history with the first televised century in 1960. He was also a former chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

SWIMMING

Brian Barnes: British champion competed in the men's 200m breaststroke at the 1952 summer Olympics.

David Wilkie: Scot won 200m breaststroke gold in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, as well as two Olympic silver medals and three world titles. In 1975, he was voted British Sportsman of the Year by sports writers.

TABLE TENNIS

Jean Head: Helped England win bronze at the 1955 World Table Tennis Championships in the Corbillon Cup team.

TENNIS

Neale Fraser: Australian left-hander was the 1960 Wimbledon men's singles champion and also won the US Open singles twice to go with his 11 men's doubles and five mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He won eight Davis Cup titles, four as a player and four as captain.

Jenny Hoad: Reached the final of her home Grand Slam at the Australian Open in singles and mixed doubles, as well as the French Open mixed doubles final.

Alan Jones: Coached for more than half a century with players such as Laura Robson, Anne Keothavong, Elena Baltacha, Jo Durie and Jeremy Bates.

Robert Lansdorp: A pioneering US coach, he mentored four world number ones, Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova.

Peter Lundgren: Swede was a coach for the likes of Roger Federer, Marat Safin, Marcelo Rios, Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka. He reached the world's top 25 as a player.

Alan Mills: Wimbledon's referee from 1983 to 2005 as well as at some ATP, WTA and ATP Champions Tour events. As a player, he reached the Wimbledon men's doubles semi-finals in 1966.

Lea Pericoli: Flamboyant Italian reached the last 16 of the French Open twice and Wimbledon three times. She went on to be a TV personality and journalist.

Vic Seixas: American won 15 Grand Slam titles in the 1950s, including the Wimbledon and the US Open singles crowns. He won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title four years in a row from 1953 to 1956.

Brian Tobin: Australian was the president of the International Tennis Federation from 1991 to 1999. He was awarded the Order of Australia and the Olympic Order.

WEIGHTLIFTING

John McNiven: Won two bronzes in six appearances at the Commonwealth Games, as well as 25 Scottish national championships.

Oleksandr Pielieshenko: The 2016 and 2017 European champion competed for Ukraine at the 2016 summer Olympics. He was killed in action, fighting against Russia.

WINTER SPORTS

Johnny Gaudreau: Columbus Blue Jackets player scored 243 goals over the course of his 11-year NHL career and was nicknamed 'Johnny Hockey'.

Matthew Gaudreau: Professional hockey player played for the Reading Royals team in Pennsylvania.

Matilde Lorenzi: Italian alpine skier died from injuries suffered in a training accident. She competed in the 2024 Junior World Skiing Championships, finishing sixth in the women's downhill.

Nicholas Phipps: British bobsledder competed in two Winter Olympics.

Mateusz Rutkowski: Polish ski jumper won an individual gold medal and a team silver medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships.

WRESTLING

Brian Maxine: Known as 'Goldbelt', he held the British Welterweight Championship from 1969 to 1971 and won the British middleweight championship in 1971.

Aleksandr Medved: Won three consecutive wrestling Olympic gold medals from 1968 to 1976 for the Soviet Union. He was also a seven-time world champion.

Levan Tediashvili: Double Olympic wrestling champion in 1972 and 1976 for the Soviet Union. He was a four-time gold medallist at World Championships.