The New Zealand Olympic Committee is congratulating Lydia Ko (NZ Olympian #1298) on being named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to golf and New Zealand sport.

Dame Lydia is one of New Zealand’s most successful Olympians, having won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, silver at the Rio 2016 Games and bronze in Tokyo in 2021.

NZOC CEO Nicki Nicol says Dame Lydia’s sporting journey is nothing short of remarkable.

“Dame Lydia is without a doubt one of New Zealand’s greatest Olympians. From being the youngest world number one in golf history, to standing on the Olympic podium three times, she embodies the values of hard work, determination, and excellence that we hold close as New Zealanders,” said Nicol.

“Her Damehood is a fitting recognition of her incredible contribution to sport and to our nation. Her success brings immense joy to fans both at home and abroad and we are extremely proud of her. Being based offshore Dame Lydia is also an amazing ambassador for New Zealand, she is a proud Kiwi.”

Outside of the Olympic Games, Dame Lydia has won three majors and dozens of professional tournaments. She was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame following her gold medal win at Paris 2024. Dame Lydia's Olympic bio is available here.

The NZOC also extends its congratulations to all those named in the New Year Honours, particularly those recognised from the sporting community.

About The New Zealand Olympic Committee

The New Zealand Olympic Committee was established in 1911.

Since then, we have used our unique mandate to select and lead more than 60 teams to Olympic and Commonwealth Games across the globe.

Our athletes and teams are at the heart of our organisation and their stories have become integral to our national identity. They represent Aotearoa New Zealand with honour and pride and the silver fern is a symbol of their sporting success.

For decades our teams and athletes have showcased our unique culture and values on the world stage as well as promoting excellence and innovation through their stories and success.

We are a charity and rely heavily on commercial and other funding partnerships as we promote sport and the Olympic and Commonwealth values and help create New Zealand history.

We are engaged in education programmes for young New Zealanders and, through Olympic Solidarity and other partnerships, help fund athlete and sport development.

We work in partnership with High Performance Sport New Zealand, which invests significant funding and specialist resources in NSOs, coaches and athletes to support performance on the world stage in New Zealand’s targeted sports.

We are proud to represent the Olympic and Commonwealth sporting movements in New Zealand.

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