London 2012: Parade through London to honour Olympic and Paralympic athletes

Sarah Shaffi, Olympics editor (news) Sunday, August 12, 2012
2:32 PM

Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes will be honoured with a parade through the streets of London.

The Our Greatest Team parade will take place on Monday, September 10 - the day after the Paralympic Games finish - and include competitors from the Olympics and Paralympics.

The parade will begin at Mansion House in the City of London and finish in central London, and full details of timings and routes will be announced in due course.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The men and women competing in this year’s Games are role models for our times, underlining the virtues of aspiration, hard work and commitment.

“Team GB’s medal haul has been outstanding and we can expect another magnificent showing during the Paralympic Games.

“The parade is our way of recognising the supreme achievements of Our Greatest Team, which I hope will inspire youngsters in London and up and down the country to take up sport, whether for fun, or with the ambition of competing at the highest level.”

The Our Greatest Team parade is being organised by the Mayor of London, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA), with support from a number of organisations.

Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission and chief executive of the BOA, said: “The London 2012 Olympic Games have been a record breaking success for Team GB.

“There have been so many inspirational performances from the 541 athletes who have represented Team GB with pride and excellence across the 26 Olympic sports.

“Together as One Team GB, we have achieved our ambition of winning more medals from more sports than we have done in over a century – a truly historic achievement. This unprecedented success was helped by the huge impact of the passionate vocal support of the home crowd, who encouraged Team GB’s athletes to achieve their personal best in the venues.

“The parade of Our Greatest Team on September 10 will provide an opportunity for the nation to recognise and celebrate the special achievements of this unique group of athletes, and importantly, for the members of Team GB to show their appreciation and gratitude for the inspirational support they have received from the Great British public throughout the London 2012 Games.”

Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of the BPA, said: “The iconic images from the 2008 parade were a fitting finale to the outstanding performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB.

“Fast forward four years to London and Team GB have already surpassed that with an effort that has captured and enthralled the nation. It’s our turn now to show the nation what we can do on home soil. If we also achieve our target of more medals across more sports then the 2012 parade will be a fantastic tribute to Our Greatest Team and a fitting end to a wonderful summer of sport.

“ParalympicsGB has a great track-record when it comes to the Paralympic Games and we look forward to showing the nation and the world what we can do in 17 days time.”

The parade is being held with the support of BA, BP, BT, Camelot and Visa, and delivered with partners including the City of London, Westminster City Council, Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and The Royal Parks.