The curtain may have come down on what
has been hailed as the 'best ever' Games, but the celebrations are far from
over as fans across the globe came out in their thousands to welcome home their
2012 Olympic heroes.
From the Champs-Elysees in Paris,
Entebbe airport in Uganda to Piarco in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and
Tobago, the world's sporting stars have been met with incredible scenes as
supporters in their home nations flooded airports and city streets to honour
their athletes' achievements at the London Games.
Athletes disembarking from their
flights from London were showered with petals, mobbed by autograph hunters, met
by Government dignitaries and some cases, presented with new houses and a
cheque for huge sums of money.
Our Kenyan team celebrations were however a bit subdued after a
not so great Olympic experience. One of our two Olympic champions slipped into
the country soon after his race without much fanfare while the other is still
in Europe competing in races.
Usually after a successful championship outing, upon return our
athletes are usually decorated with flower
garlands and kikois, given a sip of traditional sour milk (Mursik) from a gourd
amidst cheers and ululations from hundreds of jubilant city residents and
troupes of traditional dancers.
I can only imagine
the welcoming party for world record holder David Rudisha when he arrives back
in Kenya from his amazing season. His hometown of Kilgoris, I am sure, will be
abuzz at the arrival of their greatest son and we can expect massive parties in
his honour.
The Ugandans, however, topped us on Olympic celebrations this time
round. Their marathoner, Stephen
Kiprotich, who won the nation's first Olympics gold medal in 40 years returned
home to a hero's welcome and a large cash award from the President.
Throngs
flooded the airport to honour Kiprotich, whose win sparked fierce pride and
excitement in the East African nation that won its last gold medal in the
Munich Games in 1972. Apart from the cash and promises of a house to be built
for his parents, Kiprotich had the Ugandan parliament
hold a special session in his honor and a motion seeking to have the athlete
declared a national hero.
Other African countries also feted their medal
winning athletes with cash upon their return from London. South African runner Caster Semenya was
presented with a huge cheque after her silver medal achievement by the South
African Sports Olympic Committee, who also gave awards to all of the country's
medal winners.
The Ethiopians usually come out in their hundreds of thousands to
receive their athletes from their Olympic triumphs and this year was no
different.
Olympic javelin champion Keshorn
Walcott was promised the probably the largest cash amount for any Olympic
champion when he landed in Trinidad and Tobago, along with a luxury home and
roughly 20,000 square feet of land near his hometown.
His proud home nation is even planning
to name a lighthouse and a Caribbean Airlines plane after the 19-year-old
champion. Monday was named a national holiday in honour of Walcott as the
country’s Prime Minister lavished him with gifts and praise as thousands of
fans white arrived at Piarco International Airport to greet the young athlete.
The Dutch Olympic team was celebrated in a spectacular
way back at home by standing on a stage created to look like a gold medal as
crowds cheered. The French Olympic
athletes too celebrated on board double decker buses that paraded through the
streets of Paris, to the delight of flag-waving crowds.
As for Olympic champions still competing in
the Samsung Diamond League events such as Friday’s DN Galan event in Stockholm,
Sweden aired by Zuku Sport, special parades in luxury cars around the track
will be a common honor before the races.
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