The legendary football icon Winston Chung-Fah and boxing great George ‘Bunny’ Grant head a list of eight people who received national honours for their contribution to sports in accordance with the regulations made under Section 7 of the National Honours and Awards Act, yesterday.

On the occasion of the 51st anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, Chung-Fah and Bunny Grant were conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD), the fifth highest badge of honour.

Chung-Fah, the founder of Santos football club and former national head coach, received his for outstanding contribution to the development of Jamaica’s football programme.

Only last year he was honoured with football’s world governing body’s — (FIFA) highest award, the Order of Merit — at the 62nd Congress in Hungary.

Although he didn’t win a global world title, the Commonwealth Boxing champion Bunny Grant had the distinction of being the first Jamaican to fight for a world title at home in 1964, and he was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the development of the sport of boxing in Jamaica.

The six other recipients all received the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer (OD) — Richard ‘Shrimpy’ Clarke, broadcaster Simon Crosskill, race horse trainer Wayne DaCosta, administrator Ian Forbes, former track athlete Marilyn Neufville and Wilbert Parkes.

Flyweight boxer Clarke, who also lost in a world title bid on local soil in 1990, received his honour for his contribution to boxing in Jamaica.

DaCosta, with 12 trainer’s championship title under his belt and winner of the last eight consecutive years, got his OD for service to the horse-racing industry in Jamaica.

Neufville, 60, who broke the world record in the 400m and won four gold medals and one bronze in various regional championships, was honoured for her pioneering and outstanding contribution to sport, in particular track and field.

She was the Commonwealth 400m champion in 1970; won the Pan American Games gold in 1971, and struck gold that same year in Kingston at the Central and Caribbean Championships.

In the summer, before the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Neufville chose to represent her country of birth, Jamaica over her country of residence, England. This caused a huge controversy, with many members of the British public saying she had betrayed where she was trained and considered her switch like treason.

Meanwhile, Ian Forbes of Jamaica College and Sherwin Williams fame, was honoured for his contribution to sport and volunteerism.

Wilbert Parkes for long and dedicated service in the field of sports, and journalist Simon Crosskill for his distinguished contribution to sports and sports commentary, also received awards.