That's All Folks! - Team GB London Parade

Yesterday, approximately  800 of Team GB's Paralympic and Olympic Athletes paraded through the streets of London on the back of 21 Lorries. They were greeted by hundreds of thousands of people who have watched them compete over the past 6 weeks.
Passionate patriots waited patiently for hours to catch a glimpse of London2012's home team.
The slogan, "Our Greatest Team" displayed on every truck as it past. With a grand total of 185 medals proudly hung round the athletes necks, they really have been our most successful Team to date!

The Part of the Parade nearest to where our AbilityNet Office is based was near St. Paul's Cathedral.
We turned up rather too late to get a prime spot for viewing the sporting heroes. 
Although there was mass of spectators all desperately tip-toeing to get a better view, 
the crowd was calm, friendly and excited. 

Team GB came 3rd on the medal boards of both sets of games, with Great Britain's Paralympians scooping 120 medals alone. There are more opportunities for medals in the Paralympics, because of the different classifications within each sport, but this also means more competition. 







Here are the total of medals won at London2012:

Olympics:       Gold : 29  Silver: 17   Bronze: 19      Total = 65
Paralympics:  Gold : 34  Silver : 43  Bronze:  43     Total = 120

The parade started at 1:30pm at Mansion House in East London. The route ran parallel with the path of the Thames before veering along the edge of St James’s Park.  It ended up at the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace. Thousands of people filled the Mall once again.

Photo from Yahoo/EuroSport 

Speeches were made to congratulate everyone who had taken part in making the London 2012 Games what they were, the Athletes, Armed Forces, Police, Volunteers etc.
There was a flypast over Buckingham Palace,which included the golden plane which initially bought over the Olympic flame and a military tribute with streams of colour; red, white and blue,
The roar of the planes could be heard for miles around.

2012 has been a year of celebrating National Pride. Something which isn't always painted in a good light. For many people who were initially cynical about the games, and the whole Olympics experience, most had a complete change of heart once the Games began. 

There is no doubt in my mind that seeing our Athletes compete so spectacularly on the world's stage, will encourage many people to take up sports, if not inspire them to want to get into Team GB's 2016 squad for the Games in Rio.

The Paralympics especially has been a show case for what people can do , as apposed to what they cant.  

We've had a great time putting together this blog during the Games.
We hope you have found it informative and enjoyed it as much as we have making it.

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