Our Greatest Team to be honoured with London parade

As the whole country celebrates Team GB's biggest medal haul for over 100 years, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson in conjunction with the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association confirmed today that the British athletes competing in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are to be honoured with a parade through the streets of the capital.

Called Our Greatest Team and bringing together TeamGB and ParalympicsGB athletes, the parade will take place on Monday 10 September. It is set to begin at Mansion House in the City of London and finish in central London. More details about route and timings will be announced in due course.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:

'The men and women competing in this year's Games are role models for our times, underlining the virtues of aspiration, hard work and commitment. Team GB's medal haul has been outstanding and we can expect another magnificent showing during the Paralympic Games. The parade is our way of recognising the supreme achievements of Our Greatest Team, which I hope will inspire youngsters in London and up and down the country to take up sport, whether for fun, or with the ambition of competing at the highest level.'

Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission and Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association, said:

'The London 2012 Olympic Games have been a record breaking success for Team GB. There have been so many inspirational performances from the 541 athletes who have represented Team GB with pride and excellence across the 26 Olympic sports. Together as One Team GB, we have achieved our ambition of winning more medals from more sports than we have done in over a century – a truly historic achievement. This unprecedented success was helped by the huge impact of the passionate vocal support of the home crowd, who encouraged Team GB's athletes to achieve their personal best in the venues The parade of Our Greatest Team on September 10th will provide an opportunity for the nation to recognise and celebrate the special achievements of this unique group of athletes, and importantly, for the members of Team GB to show their appreciation and gratitude for the inspirational support they have received from the Great British public throughout the London 2012 Games.'

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said:

'The iconic images from the 2008 parade were a fitting finale to the outstanding performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB. Fast forward four years to London and Team GB have already surpassed that with an effort that has captured and enthralled the nation. It's our turn now to show the nation what we can do on home soil. If we also achieve our target of more medals across more sports then the 2012 parade will be a fantastic tribute to Our Greatest Team and a fitting end to a wonderful summer of sport. ParalympicsGB has a great track-record when it comes to the Paralympic Games and we look forward to showing the nation and the world what we can do in 17 days time.'

The Our Greatest Team parade is being organised by the Mayor of London, BOA and BPA, with the support of BA, BP, BT, Camelot and Visa. It is being delivered with a range of partners, including the City of London, Westminster City Council, Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and The Royal Parks. More details will be announced shortly.

Media enquiries should be directed to Tash Carpenter in the BPA press office or Caroline Searle, Chief Press Officer, via press@paralympics.org.uk