Duncan Scott recognised with OBE in New Year Honours

Scotland’s most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott – who has trained at the University of Stirling for the past decade – has been recognised with an OBE in the New Year Honours List.

Scott – who won a gold and silver medal at this summer’s Olympics – will be made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to swimming, it was confirmed on Monday evening (30 December).

The recognition comes three years after the 27-year-old received an MBE alongside fellow Stirling swimmer Kathleen Dawson, reflecting the pair’s success at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The latest royal honour caps a hugely successful year for Scott whose double in Paris saw him cement his place as Scotland’s most decorated Olympian, and third in the all-time Team GB list, behind cyclists Sir Jason Kenny and Sir Bradley Wiggins. Following his success at the Games, Scott was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year at The Scottish Sports Awards, Swimming Athlete of the Year at the Aquatics GB Awards, and Swimmer of the Year at the Scottish Swimming Awards.

Scott said: “I'm truly humbled to be recognised in the New Year Honours list. This OBE is not just mine; it’s a reflection of the amazing support and dedication of my team and the swimming community. It was an incredible year, and I couldn’t be prouder to start 2025 with this honour.”

Inspiration

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence, said: “Duncan's achievements over multiple Olympic cycles have been outstanding and an inspiration to so many. He truly deserves all the recognition that he receives, so I'm delighted to learn that he will be awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List.

“Duncan continues to raise the standards in the pool, and he embodies excellence in everything that he does out of it. We are very proud of his achievements to date and now look forward to seeing what will come next in his already illustrious career.”

Scott now has eight Olympic medals to his name – winning two silver medals at Rio 2016 (Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay); four medals at Tokyo 2021 (gold in Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, silver in Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, 200m Individual Medley and 200m Freestyle); and two medals at Paris 2024 (gold in Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, silver in 200m Individual Medley).

Scholarships

The University of Stirling offers a world-leading high-performance swim programme, which provides athletes with a bespoke package of world-class coaching, access to state-of-the-art facilities, performance mentoring and access to the latest innovations in sports research. Those on scholarships can also benefit from academic flexibility to support their education alongside their sporting ambitions.

Head Performance Coach Ben Higson leads the programme, supported by Brad Hay, Josh Williamson and Charlie Boldison, and current athletes include Scott, Dawson, Jack McMillan and Katie Shanahan.