She has broken world records, stood atop Olympic podiums six times, and spent decades using the platform those victories built to fight for a more inclusive and representative world. Now, Tessa Sanderson CBE has received one of the oldest and most distinguished honours the City of London can confer the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional service that has extended far beyond athletics.
The Freedom of the City of London is awarded by the City of London Corporation to individuals who have made a sustained and extraordinary contribution to society. It is not handed out lightly. Its recipients are those whose achievements and character reflect the highest standards of public life and by that measure, Sanderson’s name belongs on the roll without argument.
A six-time Olympian, Sanderson carved her name into British sporting history as one of the most formidable javelin throwers the country has ever produced, competing across an era when Black women in elite British sport faced barriers that required more than athletic talent to overcome. She overcame them, repeatedly, and then turned back to make the road easier for those who followed.
Today, as an ambassador for the Museum of Diversity, Sanderson continues to lend her voice and her story to the work of building a society that genuinely reflects the people who make it. Her advocacy for diversity, inclusion, and representation has shaped conversations in sport, in public life, and in cultural institutions across Britain.
The ceremony carried one particularly memorable flourish. Among the ancient privileges conferred upon Freemen of the City of London is the medieval right to drive sheep toll-free across London Bridge a custom dating back centuries, when it held real economic significance for livestock traders crossing into the city. The right is rarely exercised in its literal form, but on this occasion, a sheep was very much in attendance, lending the proceedings a distinctly memorable quality and reminding those present that honouring those who serve society is a tradition embedded in London’s deepest history.
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For the Museum of Diversity, which counts Sanderson among its most prominent ambassadors, the moment is a source of immense pride. Her dedication, resilience, and the breadth of her impact make her precisely the kind of figure an institution built around diversity and representation is honoured to call its own.
Congratulations, Tessa Sanderson CBE. The honour is long deserved.
