The Rio 2016 celebrations continued today with Edinburgh hosting the return of Team GB's Scottish athletes after another successful Olympic Games. Sixteen Scottish medallists and around 50 athletes featured for Team GB at Rio 2016, contributing to the history-making 67 medal haul, and many were in attendance today including gold medallists Katie Archibald, Callum Skinner and Heather Stanning.
From meeting schoolchildren, clubs and volunteers from across Scotland at Scotland’s Sports Performance centre in the morning, to greeting the public in Festival Square, then joining Team Scotland for an awards dinner in the evening, it was a fitting tribute to the athletes.
“On behalf of the people of Scotland, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of the Scottish Olympians and Paralympians. They have done themselves and their country proud and will have inspired the next generation of athletes," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“Today’s event was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievements of our athletes and it is hard to think of a more fitting venue for us to do this than at Oriam, Scotland's brand new, world class national performance centre.”
Mark England, Chef de Mission for Team GB said: "We are incredibly proud of our Scottish athletes, who have yet again contributed significantly to the Team GB medal tally and the wider efforts of the nation. I am sure everyone in Scotland is thrilled with their performances and this celebration will be a fitting way to recognise the incredible achievements of our athletes."
The final event of the day of celebration was the inaugural Team Scotland Scottish Sports awards at the EICC where the athletes took to the red carpet.
The celebrations commenced at Oriam, where the athletes took part in sporting events with school children from across Scotland, as well as members of the public and representatives from Olympic and Paralympic sports. Bryan Burnett and Rhona McLeod hosted a Q&A with the athletes where the children and young people had the chance to ask their sporting heroes about their careers and their experiences in Rio.
The athletes then travelled to the city centre for a fantastic celebration in Festival Square where the crowd were not only able to hear from the athletes, but also to meet them face to face for autographs and selfies.
The Festival Square event was also hosted by Bryan Burnett and Rhona McLeod, who invited the athletes up on stage before they mingled with the crowds who had gathered. Backed by Scottish Government and Lottery investment, sportscotland has implemented a world-class performance system in Scotland. The collaborative approach between the athletes, sports, coaches, the experts at the sportscotland institute of sport and our partners at ParalympicsGB & Team GB, has delivered outstanding success at Olympic and Paralympic Games. Photo credit: @sportscotland
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