Barbara Kendall at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she won gold. Photo: Photosport
Three-time Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall has been made an Olympian for Life.
The honour is bestowed on just five Olympians at each edition of the Games.
It is reserved for athletes who have drawn on their Olympic experiences to make the world a better place.
The World Olympians Association recognised Kendall, a champion sailor, for her commitment to empowering up-and-coming athletes.
The five-time Olympian won gold at Barcelona 1992, silver at Atlanta 1996 and bronze at Sydney 2000.
Since she finished competing, she has served as a coach, ambassador and International Olympic Committee member.
Barbara Kendall is an advocate for up-and-coming athletes. In 2015, she won the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award at the Halberg Awards. Photo: Photosport Ltd 2015 www.photosport.co.nz
"I've put my heart and soul into the Olympic movement and making the world a better place through sport, so to have that recognised at a global level is a real honour," Kendall said.
"When I first started athletes were to be seen not heard, we broke down a lot of barriers over the years and to see athletes now and the opportunities they have is just great.
"It goes to show that if you want to make a difference, you can."
New Zealand Olympic Committee president Liz Dawson extended her congratulations to Kendall on her accolade.
"Barbara is one of our most successful Olympians and since competing has continued to give back to the movement. She embodies the Olympic spirit," Dawson said.
"We are incredibly proud to see her honoured as an Olympian for Life, this is testament to her longstanding contributions to the Olympic movement and her relentless pursuit of excellence and equity in sport."
Jesse Owens and Luz Long walk arm-in-arm around the stadium at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Photo: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Athletes' friendship defied Hitler
Jesse Owens and Luz Long, whose friendship at the Berlin Olympics of 1936 defied Adolf Hitler, were also among those made Olympians for Life this year.
Hitler hoped the Berlin Olympics would showcase Aryan superiority and increase race hatred, but Owens, an African-American athlete, and Long, a white German, struck up a fast friendship and a fierce competition instead.
When Owens won gold in the long jump, Long, the silver medallist, was the first to congratulate him. They posed for photos together and walked arm-in-arm around the stadium.
Owens later said it "took a lot of courage" for Long to befriend him with Hitler watching.
"I would melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-karat friendship that I felt for Luz Long at that moment," he told media.
Kenyan taekwondo practitioner Faith Ogallo was recognised for her advocacy for the environment and Filipina swimmer Akiko Thomson-Guevara was honoured for running sports events for homeless children.