Olympic and Paralympic heroes hailed in Edinburgh celebration
Hundreds of people have turned out to welcome home Scotland's Olympic and Paralympic heroes at an event in Edinburgh.
Hundreds of people have turned out to welcome home Scotland's Olympic and Paralympic heroes at an event in Edinburgh.
The celebration took place in Festival Square on Wednesday when more than 50 Scottish athletes were given a rapturous welcome by cheering crowds waving Union Jack flags.
Crowds got to meet their sporting heroes, with many of the athletes stopping to take selfies and sign autographs, including Eilidh Doyle, Callum Skinner and Gordon Reid.
Speaking at the event, Ms Doyle who won bronze in the women's 4 x 400m final in Rio, said it has been a "brilliant" day.
She said: "It's lovely to get everyone back together again and to be able to get this really great reception here today.
"It's been a brilliant day and it's just been nice for us to have the excitement of the Olympics relived again.
"We're obviously very patriotic, so it's nice for Scotland to have a chance to come and see us.
"They have the big parade in London and they will have one in Manchester, so it's nice for us to have our little one up here in Edinburgh because they have been so supportive throughout the whole Olympics and Paralympics, so it's our way of saying thank you to all of them for all their support."
The event follows the triumphs of Scottish athletes, who recorded their most successful overseas Games with 13 medals at the Olympics and 17 medals at the Paralympics.
Jo Butterfield, who won gold in the F51 club throw final at the Paralympics, said the support from Scottish crowds has been "phenomenal".
Ms Butterfield added: "I've been back a week and the support from everybody back home has been phenomenal.
"We have all done so well and I think we're all proud of each other, which is a nice thing to be able to come together and share and celebrate that."
Earlier in the day, dozens of athletes were cheered by children as they arrived at Oriam, the new sports performance centre at Heriot-Watt University.
The event included a Q&A and an opportunity for young people to try Olympic sports such as rowing, judo and tennis, aided by tips from the athletes.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the athletes have "done their country proud".
She said: "On behalf of the people of Scotland, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of the Scottish Olympians and Paralympians. They have done themselves and their country proud and will have inspired the next generation of athletes.
"Today's event was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievements of our athletes and it is hard to think of a more fitting venue for us to do this than at Oriam, Scotland's brand new, world-class national performance centre."
The athletes are due to attend the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Wednesday evening.