New Year’s Honours List: Tony McCoy, Denis Law and Chris Froome to be appointed

McCoy was last week presented with a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony

Champion jockey Tony McCoy is to become a Sir (Getty Images)

Champion jockey Tony McCoy is among sports luminaries to be honoured, receiving a knighthood. The 20-times champion, who retired earlier this year, was last week presented with a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.

Throughout his two-decade career, he rode 4,300 winners at the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup among others.

Former Grand Prix racing driver John Surtees and footballers Denis Law and Francis Lee are appointed CBE, and snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan and champion cyclist Chris Froome and are awarded OBEs.

Froome, 30, is a two-time Tour de France winner as part of UCI ProTeam Team Sky, making him the first British rider to win the race twice. Manchester United and Scotland great Denis Law played for United between 1962 and 1973, winning two league titles with the club in 1965 and 1967 and the FA Cup in 1963 as one third of the club’s “Holy Trinity” alongside fellow stars Sir Bobby Charlton and the late George Best.

The 75-year-old was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964 but was ruled out by injury for the European Cup final in 1968, which United won by beating Benfica 4-1 at Wembley.

Law, who now lives in Cheshire, has long promoted Meningitis Now’s message across the country after his son contracted the disease. He is a patron of the charity.

Sports commentator Sue Barker receives an OBE, while sports broadcaster Jacqui Oatley, who became the first female commentator on Match of the Day, is awarded an MBE.

Click here for the full 2016 New Year's Honours list