Some friends of LGBT sport on UK "Pink List"

The Independent on Sunday's "Pink List" contains what the paper considers to be the top 100 influential LGBT people in Britain. On this year's list we find a number of people associated with mainstream and LGBT sport, including (numbers are this year's and last year's rankings):

4 (judge) Clare Balding
Broadcaster
Last year's Pink List judge is as easy fronting events as she was formidable in responding a year ago to A A Gill's teeth-grindingly backwards description of her as a "dyke on a bike" when reviewing her BBC 4 show Britain by Bike. In a civil partnership with radio newsreader Alice Arnold (see 79).

12 (new entry) Steven Davies
Cricketer
Steven Davies became the first international cricketer to announce he is gay. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper/ batsman came out earlier this year in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. Davies has played one-day and Twenty20 cricket for England since making his debut in 2009.

26 (25) Terence Etherton
Judge
Lord Justice Etherton, a past Olympic fencer, continues to preside in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the first openly gay judge to hold the post. Following his visiting professorship at Birkbeck College, London, last year, Sir Terence was this year made an honorary professor at Kent University.

78 (48) Stephen Daldry
Director and producer
Daldrey is beavering away ahead of a big 2012: his version of Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close will be released; he part of the team devising the Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies, and there are rumours he's working on a Broadway version of Disney's Dumbo.

88 (New entry) Nigel Owens
Rugby referee
Nigel Owens was one of the three officials for this morning's Rugby World Cup Final in New Zealand. He is the only international rugby union referee to come out, and did so in 2007. Owens, 40, from Llanelli, is a former school technician and youth worker. He was appointed to the international referees' panel in 2005.

98 (new entry) Stephen Frost
Head of diversity and inclusion, 2012 Olympics
As a senior Locog staffer, Frost has put in place fair selection procedures and ensured that the board hosts a Diversity Week. The introduction of lapel "Diversity pins", although small, have led to a discussion within sports that would otherwise never have taken place.

101 (new entry) Anton Hysen
Swedish footballer
Though playing for lowly Utsiktens BK in Sweden, Anton Hysen became the highest-profile, if not the only, openly gay professional footballer in Europe when he came out this year. "Anyone who is afraid of coming out should give me a call," said Anton. He is the son of ex-Liverpool player Glenn Hysen.

Non-LGBT friends
You don't have to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to support those who are.

Ben Cohen Rugby player
A former England international, Ben is one of few sportsman actively fighting homophobia in sport. He retired from professional rugby this year to focus on The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which combats homophobia and bullying.

Lifetime achievement award


Elton John Singer-songwriter

Despite accepting $1m to perform for the right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh's fourth wedding, among his 3,000 concerts he's had more than a few good ones.