Edinburgh Celebrations For Olympic Heroes

28 September 2016, 14:33

Sports fans are to get the chance to meet Scotland's Olympic and Paralympic stars face-to-face at a public celebration in Edinburgh.

More than 50 athletes, including 18 of the 30 medallists, will meet the public in Festival Square in the city centre on Wednesday.

They'll be introduced on stage before the athletes pose for photos and sign autographs for fans.

The event is one of three taking place in a day-long homecoming celebration.

Earlier, the Olympians and Paralympians visited Oriam, the new sports performance centre at Heriot-Watt University, for a homecoming ceremony in front of an audience of schoolchildren, sports volunteers and members of the public.

The athletes will be guests of honour at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Wednesday evening.

The Festival Square event was organised after criticism over the lack of a ceremony open to the wider public, such as the bus parades held after London 2012.

Rio 2016 was Scotland's most successful overseas Olympics, with Scottish competitors securing 13 medals - four gold, seven silver and two bronze.

Tennis ace Andy Murray was the fourth Scot to win gold after cyclists Callum Skinner and Katie Archibald and rower Heather Stanning.

Rower Katherine Grainger's silver medal made her Britain's most decorated female Olympian.

Scots athletes on the ParalympicsGB team won 17 medals, surpassing their London 2012 total of 11 but behind their record of 31 at Sydney 2000.

Visually impaired sprinter Libby Clegg won two golds, while Jo Butterfield claimed hers in the F51 club throw.

Further Scottish golds were won by cyclist Karen Darke and wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid.