Minister of Education Randolph Horton has been inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island.

Now Mr. Horton, 63, recognised as a scholar athlete, will join the ranks of high profile past honouree's such as Sir Roger Bannister, US Senator Bill Bradley and Olympic Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Making the announcement, Dan Doyle, founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport, said: "Minister Horton embodies the scholar-athlete ideal.

"He has not only been a world-class athlete in two sports, soccer and cricket, but he has gone on to extraordinary success in his political career.

"Moreover, he has consistently seized the opportunity to utilise sport as a medium to educate young people.

"Indeed, Minister Horton is one of the most respected representatives of the scholar-athlete ideal in the world."

Mr. Horton's induction will take place during the Institute's acclaimed United States Scholar-Athlete Games which will be held from June 28 to July 5 at the University of Rhode Island.

The Institute's Scholar-Athlete Games programme has drawn international renown as one of the finest youth sporting and cultural events in the world.

On July 1, the now recognisable politician will be the Guest of Honour at former US General Colin Powell's United States Scholar-Athlete Games keynote address. Following that day, he will be inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame.

He will then address the 1,000 scholar-athletes and scholar-artists. Mr. Horton, who was elected to Parliament on November 9, 1998 has been appointed to numerous Ministerial portfolios during the past seven years.

He is now one of the longest serving members of Cabinet. Not only that, he is a former educator.

Having taught for two years at West End Primary School and two years at The Berkeley Institute, he subsequently enrolled at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey where he earned both a Bachelor's degree in economics and a Master's degree in educational administration and supervision.