Heroes' welcome awaits Olympians

Published: Monday, 25 August 2008, 11:17AM

British Olympians will be given a heroes' welcome when they return to the UK from Beijing later.

As the countdown begins to London 2012, Team GB will arrive at London Heathrow on a dedicated British Airways Boeing 747 featuring a special gold medal 'nose' in celebration of their success.

Olympic gold medallists including Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington and Nicole Cooke will be welcomed back to Heathrow, before being taken to a hotel to meet the waiting press.

Organisers warned fans to stay away from the airport and said the public would have an opportunity to mark their homecoming at a victory parade in London in October.

Team GB's return follows celebrations across the UK of the handover of the Olympics from Beijing to London.

Finishing fourth in the medals table, Britain notched up 19 gold medals, 13 silver and 15 bronze during this summer's Games in its most successful Olympics for 100 years.

Thousands of Britons celebrated their achievements and looked ahead to four years' time at parties around the UK yesterday.

More celebrations will follow the return of Team GB on a plane featuring a message reading "Proud to bring our British heroes home" emblazoned on the fuselage of the aircraft, renamed Pride after the British lion mascot.

BA said the plane will touch down at Heathrow at 3.05pm after a 10-hour journey from Beijing.

Extra champagne has been ordered for the flight and the airline is giving gold medallists Gold Executive Club membership and silver and bronze medal-winners Silver Executive Club membership, valid until 2012.

Captain Alasdair MacFadyen said: "We've all been following Team GB whilst they've been in Beijing. They've done the UK proud and we're so pleased to be delivering them back to home soil to the heroes' welcome they've earned."

Sean Carr, cabin services director on the flight, said: "We're honoured and delighted to be carrying the team home.

"We think they deserve to relax and be thoroughly looked after following their amazing efforts in Beijing," he said.

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