500 signatures reached
To: Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister
#KnighthoodForNigel
Add Nigel Owens, the Rugby Union referee to the honours list to recognise him for his services to the sport of Rugby Union with a Knighthood
Why is this important?
Nigel Owens has presided over 100 international Rugby Union test matches. He has been a global icon in the sport and a beacon of fair play and honesty. He embodies all that is good in Rugby Union - he has passion, he wants to share his love of the sport and he wants to ensure fans enjoy a fair game. He is one of the first openly gay “famous” people in rugby and, as such, has shown that rugby has an inclusive and accepting culture to those who may fear exposing their own sexuality in what is still perceived by many as a game for “men’s men”.
For giving millions of fans around the world the enjoyment of the best-refereed matches ever known, for being a beacon of decency and fairness that all other referees still struggle to match, for providing strong discipline with a light touch and a lot of humour and for acting as a pathfinder for non-heterosexuals to feel accepted in the sport, it is only fitting that Nigel Owens be recognised as one of the most important single participants in the sport of Rugby Union globally in the past decade or so.
