The British Olympic Association has invited owners of 48 football and rugby grounds across the UK to express an interest in being one of six stadia which could be involved in hosting the Olympic football tournament.
At question time on 23 November 2010, the Labour former deputy prime minister claimed that the government was spending 40 times as much helping to attract rugby union's biggest tournament to the UK in 2015 than to secure the rugby league version for 2013.
Bill Hogg, the former secretary of the Scottish Rugby Union, is awarded an OBE, as are UK Sport director Liz Nicholl and Football Foundation chief executive Peter Lee.
One of the most poignant honours is for Ripley, who played rugby for England and the British Lions, ran the 400m at the UK athletics championships and nearly made it into the Boat Race crew at the age of 50.
But New Zealand Rugby Union deputy chief executive Steve Tew said the financial incentives available to All Blacks stars moving to UK and French teams were too good for the players to turn down.
The stadium - built with Millennium funding to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup - is fast emerging as the leading venue for all major footballing competitions in the UK, following the demise of Wembley.