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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Matthew Weaver

Team GB return home from Rio Olympics – as it happened

Team GB arrives home from Rio Olympics

Here’s audio of air traffic controller, Julia Tarr, speaking to BA2016’s pilots Captains Steve Hawkins and Greg Steele and passing on her welcome home and congratulations to the team.

Bill Sweeney
Bill Sweeney Photograph: Zemanek/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the British Olympic Association was asked by a Chinese journalist why Team GB beat China into second place.

Here’s a transcript of his reply:

China is a little bit bigger than us, but Mark England as chef de mission and his team did an outstanding job in Rio. The issues and the challenges going in there were well documented. We took the approach right from the start to say how can we turn those issues into a competitive advantage. So there has been meticulous planning over a long period of time.

We just had a fantastic group of athletes. They weren’t just exemplary on the field of play, they were exemplary off the field of play. They were real ambassadors for their country and the whole operation went very smoothy.

Asked if Britain had spent more than China, Sweeney added:

“They won’t tell us what they spent. I don’t know how much China actually spent. I would think there is a quite a lot of money spent in the Chinese system. We have got a good investment strategy in place and we have seen the result of that over the last 20 years, but I would be surprised if we actually outspent China.”

Some areas of the flight were rowdier than others, according to triathlete Jonathan Brownlee. Asked on BBC News who was the rowdiest he said “the hockey girls.” It was the hockey team who lead the singing of the national anthem.

Summary

As we wind the blog down, here’s a summary of Team GB’s triumphant homecoming:

  • Great Britain’s most successful Olympic team for more than a century arrived to hero’s welcome at Heathrow airport after flying home from Rio in a gold-nosed British Airways 747. Double gold-medallist gymnast Max Whitlock and champion boxer Nicola Adams lead the team off the plane.
  • The athletes sang the national anthem on board the flight, while Whitlock gave an impromptu pommel horse display on the business class seats while wearing his two gold medals around his neck.
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Sports minister Tracey Crouch all tweeted their welcome to the team.
  • Silver medal wining rower Katherine Grainger suggested that Olympic success had provided a national boost after the Brexit vote. She said: “There has been a lot happening politically in the nation in the last few months and I think the nice thing about sport is that it does unite people and it lifts people for a short while.”
  • Russia has lost its appeal to compete at the Paralympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal by the Russian Paralympic Committee against its suspension.
Team GB arrives home from Rio Olympics

Nadia Khomami charts how British Airways struck gold during the homecoming.

It was Max Whitlock who gave that impromptu pommel horse display on two business class seats while wearing his two gold medals around his neck.

ITV news took a closer look at that image tweeted by rower Helen Glover.

Updated

Asked how important the issue of funding was for Team GB, Sir Hugh Robertson, vice chairman of the British Olympic Association, said it was “absolutely crucial”.

PA quotes the former sports minister saying:

“When we were looking at this in the run-up to London 2012, I think we identified four components to Olympic success - funding, structure, coaching, and the athletes themselves.

“The important things about the funding is not only the quantum that comes from the National Lottery and the Exchequer, but that actually it is guaranteed for a number of cycles.”

There’s been some extraordinary pictures of the homecoming. Here’s a selection of the best.

Grainger: Team GB provides post-Brexti boost

Katherine Grainger arriving at Heathrow
Katherine Grainger arriving at Heathrow Photograph: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Silver medal wining rower Katherine Grainger suggested Olympic success provided a national boost after the Brexit vote.

Without mentioning the referendum she said:

It has been a tough year for the country. There has been a lot happening politically in the nation in the last few months and I think the nice thing about sport is that it does unite people and it lifts people for a short while at least you can have a lot of positive news stories.

So the time and the place and the timing means that it is one of the best sporting events we have probably ever had.

Grainger added:

What makes the Olympics so special is that it is so inclusive across so many sports and so many different athletes, so the inspiration is on whole different level.

The London Games were undoubtedly a huge inspiration for the nation. I think we all felt that almost couldn’t be replicated - it will never happen again it was a once in lifetime moment.

We have only seen a taste of the post-Rio feeling from the incredible reaction from the British Airways staff on the flight, saying ‘you have no idea what you are about to walk back into’.

Updated

What lesson can football learn from Team GB? the panel is asked. Robertson dodges the question by saying if he answers it that would hog the headlines.

And with that the press conference is comes to an end. Unusually the journalists applauded at the end.

Peaty said he was looking forward to going paint balling with his mates. He also said he wanted to fly in a jet.

Grainger said she was keen to visit friends and family particularly her new nephew.

“The great thing about being British is you never walk alone,” Peaty said.

He added: “When you’re in the village, it’s such a bubble. It was an absolute honour to be in one of the first events.”

“Even when I’m on my last legs, completely dead ... it was good to get the team a good head start.”


Speaking about his grandmother, who became known on Twitter as Olympic Nan, he said: “She has her own hashtag now. It’s amazing really.

“It’s great to be back on British soil again and I can’t wait to inspire the next generation of British athletes.”

Updated

Asher-Smith said she watched Britain’s medal haul getting bigger and bigger and wanted to be part of it.

Rower Katherine Grainger agreed.

Mark England said Andy Murray spoke eloquently about being part of Team GB ahead of the opening ceremony. He also praised golfer Justin Rose for his “powerful” inspiration to less-well known members of the team.

Updated

Former sports minister Hugh Robertson, now vice chair British Olympic Association, said he thought it would be a stretch to imagine Team GB going better at Rio than in London.

Here’s the fans’ verdict on how their countries performed at the Olympics

A Chinese journalist asks how Britain beat China to second place in the medal table. Sweeney puts it down to “meticulous planning”. He added: “We just had an extraordinary bunch of athletes.”

Asked if Britain outspent China, Sweeney said: “I would be surprised if we outspent China”. He pointed out that China did not reveal how much it spent on its team.

“Every time you think about it you get goose bumps” Peaty said of his record-breaking swim.

Updated

Peaty said he can’t wait to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, predicted that the next Olympics in Tokyo will be tougher than Rio. He played down speculation about the British team topping the medal table in Tokyo, but said the team had built a strong platform at Rio.

Updated

Bronze-medal winning sprinter Dina Asher-Smith said it was “super cool” to be on the flight.

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England praised swimmer Adam Peaty for giving the team momentum at the start of the games. England said beating China to second in the medal table was a “special moment”.

He said it was exciting and a privilege to watch the team and describe their performance as the best ever by a British team.

“As we attended the Games, we had high hopes for success from the most talented team that we had ever taken away,” he said.

Updated

The news conference at Heathrow is getting underway.

Gymnast Max Whitlock said he can’t wait to see his family after arriving at Heathrow. But he took time to sign autographs and tell waiting reporters that it “feels a bit surreal”.

Five time gold medal winning rower Steve Redgrave described it as the best welcome he has ever experienced in 13 Olympic homecomings.

The press conference is due to get underway fairly shortly.

As the athletes arrived at the press conference hotel the biggest beaming smile came from Adam Peaty’s grandmother Mavis Williams, writes Maev Kennedy at Heathrow.

Williams’ ecstatic shriek when he took his swimming gold went viral on social media. She come down from Staffordshire with members of her family to greet him at Heathrow.

Here’s video of diver Tom Daley at the Heathrow arrivals hall.

Russia's Paralympic ban confirmed

Russia has lost its appeal to compete at the Paralympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal by the Russian Paralympic Committee against its suspension, first revealed by the Observer earlier this month.

Sir Philip Craven, International Paralympic Committe President, welcomed the decision. In a statement he said:

“We are greatly encouraged that the CAS Panel has upheld the IPC Governing Board’s unanimous decision to hold the Russian Paralympic Committee accountable for its membership responsibilities and obligations.

“Today’s decision underlines our strong belief that doping has absolutely no place in Paralympic sport, and further improves our ability to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for all Para athletes around the world.

“Although we are pleased with the decision, it is not a day for celebration and we have enormous sympathy for the Russian athletes who will now miss out on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. It is a sad day for the Paralympic Movement, but we hope also a new beginning. We hope this decision acts as a catalyst for change in Russia and we can welcome the Russian Paralympic Committee back as a member safe in the knowledge that it is fulfilling its obligations to ensure fair competition for all.”

The athletes have begun to greet their families in the arrivals hall. Members of the men’s rowing eight were among the first to arrive - pushing trolleys with their red team bags.

But silver-medal winning triathlete Jonathan Brownlee is still looking for his bag.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has tweeted his welcome to the team.

Time for more selfies while they sort out the bags.

Baggage reclaim is proving a challenge as all the team have identical red team bags, according to rower Alex Gregory and a race walker Tom Bosworth warned.

Cheers, including from the air crew, continued until the very last of the team disembarked, writes Maev Kennedy at Heathrow.

There were so many it took half an hour to get them all off.

Members of Team GB pose for a photograph as they arrive from Rio de Janeiro on a British Airways flight
Members of Team GB pose for a photograph as they arrive from Rio de Janeiro on a British Airways flight Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

Team GB tweets an image of the parents of gymnast Max Whitlock waiting for the arrival of their double-gold-medal-winning son.

The athletes are due to meet their family in a lounge at Heathrow. There will be then a news conference at around 11.30am, according to BBC News.

Here’s a Guardian version of that video of the team singing the national anthem on board the flight.

The whole team is off the plane now. Maev Kennedy at Heathrow only spotted two duty free bags.

Both London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch have welcomed the team home.

Here’s Guardian video of Team GB’s arrival.

Womens hockey team were singing and dancing as they won in Rio, and they’re still singing and dancing as they get off their near 12 hour flight, writes Maev Kennedy at Heathrow.

The hockey team were leading the singing of the national anthem on board.

Or this from gold-winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee?

Updated

How’s this for selfie from rower Moe Sbihi?

Republicans hold your noses ... Asha Philip has footage of Team GB belting out God Save the Queen on board the flight.

Rower Matt Langridge tweets the view of the waiting media from his seat. All concerned are taking pictures of each other.

Heathrow has footage of the gold-tipped plane arriving.

The doors are open. As predicted gold medal winners Max Whitlock and Nicola Adams are first off. Then comes the women’s hockey team, followed by the men’s rowers.

There are no members of the public but scores of BA and airport staff cheering wildly as the plane taxis to its stand, writes Maev Kennedy at Heathrow.

The rather bronze looking gold nose cone blazing in sunlight under a cloudless blue sky - the team are going to wonder if they’ve landed in the right country.

The steps are being moved into place.

As the plane comes to a stand, more tweets from onboard:

Trampolinist Kat Driscoll is Facetiming with BBC News from on board the flight. She confirms that two medalists will be getting off the plane first. She didn’t reveal who. Sky News reckons it will be Nicola Adams and Max Whitlock.

The tannoy could be heard urging the athletes to stay seated until the plane comes to a stop.

Rower Helen Glover post one of the first post touch down tweets.

One of her pictures shows a gymnast doing a routine on the chairs.

Team GB has arrived

Touchdown! Britain’s Olympic team has arrived at Heathrow after an 11-hour flight from Rio.

Wheels down: BA2016 is coming into land...

The steps have been moved into place.

Boxer Nicola Adams and gymnast Max Whitlock are expected to be first off.

British Airways is WhatsApping minute-by-minute updates. It’s latest says BA2016 is expected to touch down in around 8-10 mins after flying north of Southampton and Portsmouth. Earlier it gave an estimated time of arrival of 09:57 - that’s when it will be at standstill on the tarmac.

Britain’s Olympians are not the only ones flying home. The German and South African teams are also due back home today.

The education thinktank the Sutton Trust reports that a rise in state-educated Olympians is challenging the traditional dominance of private schools in elite sports.

But Team GB’s top Olympians are still four times more likely to have been privately educated than the population as a whole, it said.

Less than a third (32%) of Britain’s 130 medallists at Rio 2016 attended fee-paying schools, a four percentage point reduction from London 2012, when 36% of Team GB’s medal-winners were privately educated. The proportion of privately educated Olympic winners is the same as that for MPs (32%), but less than leading journalists (51%), top barristers (71%) or BAFTA winners (42%).

60% of this year’s British medallists – including Jess Ennis-Hill, Max Whitlock and Nicola Adams – were educated at comprehensive schools. 8% – including Jack Laugher and Joanna Roswell-Shand – went to grammar schools. Jason Kenny, who is now the most successful British Olympian ever after winning three Gold medals in Rio, was educated at a comprehensive school in Manchester. He is representative of his medal-winning cycling teammates, of whom 92% were educated at either a comprehensive or a state grammar school.

Although the proportion of privately educated athletes in Team GB this year was higher than in 2012 – up from 20 to 28% – the proportion of medallists educated at comprehensives has grown. 62% of medals were won by comprehensive educated athletes compared to 30% for those educated at independent schools. When total numbers of medals are considered, ten of the 13 athletes to win more than one medal are comprehensive educated.

Joe Joyce with captain Steve Hawkins
Joe Joyce with captain Steve Hawkins Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images for British Airways

Chief pilot Allister Bridger feels for Captain Steve Hawkins, piloting BA2016 this morning, writes Maev Kennedy.

“He’ll be very excited but there’s always a bit of apprehension. We’re only human, things can always go wrong, but Steve will be wanting a perfect flight - and an immaculate landing”.

Bridger is a trustee of a disabled flying charity, and so is elated that he’ll be flying the Paralympics back from Rio next month. He’s already working on some little jokes to add to his ‘fasten your seat belts’ safety announcement.

BA2016 is flying over the English channel, according Airlive. It is due to arrive in around 40 minutes.

The plane carrying the team was running late, but it has since made up time and is due in just before 10am, according to the BBC’s Dan Johnson at Heathrow.

The team has been watching the film Chariots of Fire on board the flight, Johnson and Sky News reported.

The unashamedly nostalgic movie celebrates Britain’s achievements at the 1924 Olympics.

The sun is shinning on Heathrow as waiting journalists fill time.

BA2016 has entered UK airspace, according to NATS, the UK-based air traffic management company.

We have fewer than 90 minutes to wait for Team GB’s touchdown at Heathrow’s terminal 5. The Guardian’s Maev Kennedy has joined the media scrum. She writes:

The Olympians aren’t coming through arrivals like little people, but will be whisked straight to a press conference. A group of fans has turned up at the airport with balloons and flags.

Team GB fans at Heathrow
Team GB fans at Heathrow Photograph: Maev Kennedy

Athletes on the flight “belted out God save the Queen” before BA2016 took off, according to gold-medal winning rower Helen Glover one of those board.

Meanwhile, the triumphant women’s hockey team got to meet the captain and pose for gold medal selfies in cockpit, according to team member Sophie Bray.

Heathrow is gearing up for the arrival of the gold-tipped 747.

Summary

Team GB are set to receive a heroes’ welcome when they touch down in the UK following their best Olympics in more than a century.

At the risk of offending Simon Jenkins, and his problems with Olympic hysteria, but we’ll be live blogging the team’s arrival at around 10am, plus all the build up, and reaction to it.

British Airways isn’t holding back. It is flying the team in a gold-nosed 747 with “victoRIOus” emblazoned on the side.

And you’d better used to it, this is set to be the start of months of celebrations with a victory parade planned in Manchester, and a celebration event in London in the autumn. There are also heavy hints from Downing Street that there will be an extended honours list to recognise Britain’s Olympians.

Anushka Asthana and Maev Kennedy selects some key facts about the plane:

  • Team GB are returning home in triumph on flight BA2016, a charter 747 with its nose painted gold and renamed “victoRIOus” – a name proposed by the athletes and voted on by the public.
  • A choice of three-course menus has been prepared, offering Brazilian-style beef tenderloin and kale and tomato; grilled salmon with ginger infused noodle salad; chicken in a white wine sauce; Thai fish curry; or chicken with polenta.
  • The plane is loaded with 77 bottles of champagne and 350 litres of water.
  • The team’s two and half tonnes of luggage includes vaulting poles, javelins, bicycles and laser pistols, with the largest piece a 6.7-metre sail.
  • The inflight entertainment includes a highlights show from the Olympics, sporting documentaries and Chariots of Fire, the classic film based on the 1924 Olympics.
  • Some of the athletes have already returned, including the golden cycling couple Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, who flew back to Manchester last week and have been seen out walking their dogs.
  • Fans are being invited to track the team flight on Flightradar24 and catch an interview with an athlete on the plane on the team’s Facebook page.
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