London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has denied suggestions that he is blocking an Olympic victory parade in the capital but said he wanted to delay the event until after next month’s Paralympics.
The British rower Matthew Pinsent, who won four gold medals in consecutive Games, challenged Khan on Twitter to announce whether plans for a parade had been “binned”.
Dear @MayorofLondon is this true about the @TeamGB parade? Binned apparently.
— Matthew Pinsent (@matthewcpinsent) August 16, 2016
I've heard from 2 different sources today that there won't be a @TeamGB parade this year. Bit sad about that. 04,08,12 - now finito.
— Matthew Pinsent (@matthewcpinsent) August 16, 2016
Khan said Pinsent’s claims were untrue and he was in discussion with officials about a parade after the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, which finish on 18 September.
Asked about Pinsent’s remarks on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Khan said: “That is not quite right. I am a big fan of Matthew Pinsent. He and Steve Redgrave were the only two British Olympians to win a gold in 1996.”
He added: “I’m keen for it [a parade] to happen and we are speaking to the Paralympian chiefs and Olympian chiefs, as well as the government, to ensure we celebrate the fantastic achievements – our best ever overseas Olympics.”
Asked whether there would be a victory parade, Khan said: “If I have my way, yes … I’m optimistic. What is important is that we obviously have got the Paralympics coming up as well, and we celebrate a heroes’ return from Rio – our Olympians and Paralympians.”
The Daily Mail reported that the government was under mounting pressure to organise a parade. It quoted the former Olympics minister Tessa Jowell as saying: “There should certainly be a parade. That is a chance for people to show their appreciation and join in the celebration of the achievements of our athletes.”
The former sports minister and Sheffield Central MP Richard Caborn said the event should be outside London. “We don’t want a bloody parade around London for American tourists, that’s all it’s going to be; we want it for the nation.
“It’s not just one area ... it’s the Burnleys, it’s the Hulls, they’ve all got their own heroes.
“If we smarten up as a nation, we can use it to inspire the nation and make sure on one day - we can call it Olympic celebration day - we get everyone active and we thank all those who helped the Olympians to do what they’ve done.”
He added: “I think Theresa May and the government ought to declare an Olympic legacy day.”
Labour’s candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said he would write to the government to push for it to consider Manchester as a location for the homecoming celebrations.
He said: “I find rumours that the government has no plans for an official parade surprising and disappointing. There will be overwhelming public support for a formal event and a strong case for that to be held outside of London, reflecting the fact that our athletes come from all parts of the UK.
“I will be writing to the government to call for a formal parade and to put the case for it being held in Manchester.
“The cycling team has been the engine behind Team GB’s success at the last three Olympics. The success of the National Cycling Centre and Velodrome has provided a template for other sports to follow.
“While other places will no doubt wish to stake a claim to host the parade, Manchester has a powerful one. At this Games, every single member of Team GB’s cycling team has won a medal. Given that those medals were made in Manchester, a parade here would be a fitting recognition of that unprecedented achievement.”
