The City of London fully supports the 2012 Games and is
committed to maximising their potential for the capital. As part of
this commitment, and in its local London government role, the City
Corporation is working with partners to deliver a programme of
events leading up to the Games that will complement other
activities around the capital. These have included special
activities around the Beijing Torch Relay, the handover of the
Games (Olympic and Paralympic) and the Cultural Olympiad Launch
Weekend as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Parade.
Taking place on Thursday 16 October, the parade
day began with the athletes enjoying breakfast at the City's
Guildhall. From there, they made their way to the parade's
starting point at Mansion House where they were waved off by
the Lord Mayor of the City of London and crowds of
well-wishers. The parade - which saw the athletes travelling
on floats - followed a route along Queen Victoria Street and
Cannon Street to St Paul's, then down Ludgate Hill, along
Fleet Street and out of the City via the Strand. Visitors,
schoolchildren and hundreds of City workers gathered to cheer
the athletes on their way.
Addressing the 500+ athletes at the breakfast,
the Lord Mayor said "This is the start of a happy day which
will allow you, as the country’s leading representatives of
sport, to remind us all of the Olympic ideal of striving and
achieving...when you can remind yourself of the challenges we
face to give the world an Olympiad which, whilst different,
will be as exciting in its own way as the Beijing Olympics
where you, as individuals and teams, triumphed so
spectacularly."
Watch a video of the Beijing Athletes Parade (7mb)