On October 17th, Manchester welcomed back Olympic heroes who were returning from a sunny Rio. However, a typically rainy day was not enough to dampen the spirits of spectators and athletes alike, and they were met with a rapturous reception.
The event itself was a spectacular show, complete with a huge model lion and pyrotechnics, which would have been useful to warm up against the bitter weather.
All of the athletes that went to Rio were paraded around the city centre in a total of 14 floats carrying the athletes, who were in high spirits wearing almost permanent smiles.
The athletes, who participated in both the paralympics and olympics, were there from a whole plethora of different sports, which includes; hockey, gymnastics, taekwondo, golf, rowing, sailing, badminton, shooting amongst others which include the ‘bigger’ name sports such as cycling, boxing and diving amongst many more.
Fans of Bradley Wiggins would have been disappointed however, as he did not appear at the parade. Though he hasn’t attended an event like this since 2004, many thought that the most decorated Olympian would have been there, though being at the center of such a serious controversy such as the use of Therapeutic Use Exemption forms, that could potentially put his titles in jeopardy, would have put a dark cloud over the celebrations.
I managed to get an interview from an elderly couple (as we took shelter under a shop’s awning), who attended the Manchester Olympic parade. When I asked them where they were from they stated that “This is the first Olympic parade we’ve attended. We travelled from Brighton to see today’s events.
The couple I interviewed, (Joanne and Carl) said to me that “It’s a fantastic thing to experience, [the parade], we had watched as much of the Olympics as we could and have been huge fans for years. To be here and see these athletes up close is a real treat. The turnout of people makes you feel a bit proud”.
I also asked them what their favourite sport to watch was, in which Carl answered Tennis and Joanne went for Hockey, with her playing a lot in her ‘younger days,’ as she put to me.
With BBC reporting that over 150,000 thousand people lined the streets to welcome and show their support for olympians, it was great to see such a sense of community and pride all in one place not only from the locals, but also people who had travelled to Manchester.
I also managed to speak to two Manchester Metropolitan students who were also covering the event, who said they would have been at the parade regardless to see the events, they also said that “This is an experience many would love to have, and luckily we’ve got it on our doorstep.”
It’s worth mentioning that Londoners will also have their own parade, so those that couldn’t make it to Manchester had another chance to see their favourite athletes and show their support there.
Many, if not all the athletes that were on the parade will be enjoying their rest, though certainly with one eye on getting back to training ready for the 2020 Summer Olympics which is being held in Tokyo.
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