Sport pauses in respect as Britain marks Queen’s funeral

Sport will come to a standstill across the United Kingdom on Monday as Britons pay their final respects to the Queen on the day of her funeral.

Racing, the Queen’s favourite sport, originally had meetings scheduled at Leicester, Warwick, Hamilton Park and Wolverhampton but they were cancelled after the funeral date was announced.

Football resumed over the weekend, with teams honouring the late monarch through moments of silence, specially-designed programmes and other tributes.

The Queen was patron of numerous sporting institutions including the FA, British Olympic Association, the MCC and the Commonwealth Games Federation.

In 2012, she famously showcased her acting talent alongside Daniel Craig in a James Bond video for the Olympic opening ceremony in London.

While sport is paused at home, some British teams competing elsewhere have announced plans to honour the Queen.

Those include the country’s rowers at the world championships in Racice, Czech Republic, whose request for a schedule adjustment to avoid a clash with the funeral was turned down by World Rowing.

A statement from British Rowing read: “We have sought to compete with the most appropriate adjustments to show our respect for HM The Queen, the Royal Family and the nation.

“The team will be wearing black ribbons when racing during the period of mourning and will join the nation to observe the minute’s silence on Sunday evening. Everyone within the team delegation not directly involved in racing will also observe the two-minute silence on Monday.”