Queen Elizabeth II claims unbeatable Olympic record

Queen Elizabeth II is remembered for a long connection to the Olympics and sport.

In Lausanne, Switzerland the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board held a moment of silence Friday for the monarch who died the day before at age 96.

“With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have lost a great supporter of sport and the Olympic Movement,” says a statement from IOC President Thomas Bach.

“As patron of the British Olympic Association, she provided invaluable advice and help to the Olympic community,” said Bach.

Not long after her death was announced by Buckingham Palace, British Olympic Association president Hugh Robertson paid tribute to her 70-year link to the Olympic Movement.

“Her Majesty The Queen has been central to British Olympic life throughout her long and distinguished reign. As Patron of the British Olympic Association (BOA), her support for the Olympic Movement in this country and, in particular, the London 2012 Olympic Games cannot be underestimated and shall never be forgotten,” says Robertson, who served as Olympics Minister at the time of the London Games.

“However, she was more than just an outstanding figurehead. Her Majesty The Queen was both a mother and grandmother to Olympic athletes and many members of her family have been involved in Olympic sports both domestically and internationally,” notes the BOA chief, himself a recipient of a knighthood bestowed by the Queen.

As Queen, Elizabeth both farewelled and then honored the return of Olympians from Great Britain beginning in 1956, a span covering more than 30 summer and winter Olympic Games. It is a record unmatched by any other head of state in the world.

“She was a totally remarkable lady and was much loved by almost all in the United Kingdom. She was Patron of the BOA and always hosted in Buckingham Palace the welcome home party for British Olympic Teams,” honorary IOC member Craig Reedie tells Around the Rings.

She is also the only head of state to open two Olympic Games -- Montreal in 1976 and London 2012. Her role in the 2012 opening ceremony will be remembered for ages. Depicted in a video with 007 actor Daniel Craig, the Queen was portrayed as leaping from a helicopter with a parachute to open the Games.

“She helped the London Organizing Committee in many ways during the 2012 Games by welcoming the IOC to Buckingham Palace after the Session and then all the Heads of State who attended the Games,” says Sir Craig, who was knighted by the Queen in 2006 for his years of service for sport in the U.K. He retired as an IOC member in 2021.

While never an Olympian, the Queen was mother and grandmother to two equestrians. The Princess Royal, a Montreal competitor, is now one of the senior members of the IOC and a former president of the International Equestrian Federation. Her daughter Zara Tindall competed at London in 2012 winning a silver medal.

As Princess Elizabeth she attended events at London 1948, watching father George VI open those Games in Wembley Stadium. Her first Olympics to attend as Queen were in 1956, for the equestrian events held in Stockholm due to quarantine issues with Australia.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe knew the Queen from his days as an Olympic champion four decades ago.

“The Queen was such a beloved constant in the lives of so many people over so many years that it is hard to comprehend that she is no longer with us. She was on the throne before most of us were born and she lived a life of extraordinary service to the people of her country and the Commonwealth. In the most demanding of roles, she has shown exceptional leadership, grace, wisdom and fortitude, touching us across the full fabric of society, including sport,” says Coe.

As head of the bid for the London 2012 Olympics as well as the Games organizing committee, Coe says he could count on the Queen’s support.

“I will never forget her total commitment to the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has been a source of continuity and comfort, and she will be grievously missed by us all. We will never see her like again. At this momentous time, my thoughts are with her family. I hope they are comforted by the support of a grateful nation, and of so many people around the world,” writes Coe.

On a personal note, this reporter was the only U.S. journalist invited to dinner at Windsor Castle in 2005 celebrating the centenary of the BOA. The good humor and charm of the Queen and Prince Philip was evident in our brief encounter in the receiving line. She wondered aloud to me whether there was a chance for London to win the IOC vote for the 2012 Olympics, a month or so away. I said yes. Philip quipped about beach volleyball, expressing surprise at its popularity. I told him the sport was here to stay.

In 2012, then ATR Publisher Sheila S. Hula took quick action to keep the Duke of Windsor from tumbling in the grandstand at the ExCel arena during the gold medal judo session during the Games. She likes to boast about the encounter to this day.

“Ed was rather cross about our seats for the competition,” referring to this reporter, as we were seated outside the media section.

“Then we heard some kind of small commotion behind us and saw Prince Philip and his entourage coming down the stairs behind us,” recounts Sheila.

“He stumbled just as he walked past me. So I instinctively reached up and held his elbow for a moment while he steadied himself. They then sat two or three rows in front of us and Ed decided he wasn’t cross about our seats anymore. I like to tell everyone it’s how I saved the monarchy – or at least half of it!”