Causeway Coast & Glens Council to consider bestowing Freedom of Borough on Olympic rower Hannah Scott

At a meeting on January 6, 2026, a notice of motion by Alderman Yvonne Boyle will be discussed.

The motion, seconded by Cllr Amy Mairs, proposes: “That this Council award the Freedom of the Borough to Hannah Scott, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in winning a Gold Medal in the Women’s Quadruple Skulls, as part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

"Hannah is the first woman from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic Gold Medal since 1972. Granting the Borough’s highest honour to her would be a fitting recognition of her success, and status as a role model to all young people in this Borough, especially young women and girls.”

Hannah Scott’s rowing journey began at Bann Rowing Club in Coleraine. Growing up, she watched local heroes Peter and Richard Chambers and Alan Campbell bring back Olympic and World Championship medals to Bann, proving that world-class success was possible even without the resources of elite training centres.

Inspired by their achievements, she took to the water at just 13 years old, determined to follow in their footsteps. Pursuing both academic and athletic excellence, Hannah attended Princeton University in the United States.

She made history as the youngest member of the Great Britain rowing team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. At the Paris 2024 Olympics,she and her teammates delivered a stunning gold-medal performance, edging out the Dutch by just 0.15 seconds.