Buckingham Palace says the monarch has made sport the central focus of her message this year.

BBC: Royals celebrate Christmas at Sandringham

Not to be outdone by his French counterpart, on the other side of the English Channel, Henry VIII (1509-47) was a skilled practitioner of the sport and famously built a court at the Royal Palace of Hampton Court, which still survives today and is used for modern competition.

CNN: A short history of tennis: Henry VIII to Federer the great

Amaechi, 40, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, was honoured for services to sport and the voluntary sector at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

BBC: John Amaechi

Tottenham's alternative for athletics is to redevelop and enlarge the existing Crystal Palace stadium - the main home of the sport in the capital over the past few decades - but with only 25, 000 seats.

BBC: Olympic stadium

In 1970, Mr. Mesanko opened Grog's Surf Palace, a Seaside Park shop that held competitions and attracted stars of the sport such as Shaun Tomson, Gerry Lopez and Corky Carroll.

WSJ: Wipeout of Pier Is Blow to Town's Surf Scene