Heroes' welcome for UK sports stars
British Olympians will be given a heroes' welcome when they return to the UK from Beijing on Monday afternoon.
As the countdown begins to London 2012, Team GB will arrive at London Heathrow on a dedicated British Airways Boeing 747 featuring a special gold medal "nose" in celebration of their success.
Olympic gold medallists including Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington and Nicole Cooke will be welcomed back to Heathrow, before being taken to a hotel to meet the waiting press.
Organisers warned fans to stay away from the airport and said the public would have an opportunity to mark their homecoming at a victory parade in London in October.
Team GB's return follows Sunday's celebrations across the UK of the handover of the Olympics from Beijing to London.
Finishing fourth in the medals table, Britain notched up 19 gold medals, 13 silver and 15 bronze during this summer's Games in its most successful Olympics for 100 years.
Thousands of Britons celebrated their achievements and looked ahead to four years' time at parties around the UK on Sunday.
More celebrations will follow the return of Team GB on a plane featuring a message reading "Proud to bring our British heroes home" emblazoned on the fuselage of the aircraft, renamed Pride after the British lion mascot.
Extra champagne has been ordered for the flight and the airline is giving gold medallists Gold Executive Club membership and silver and bronze medal-winners Silver Executive Club membership, valid until 2012.
BA said the passengers will be able to choose from an onboard menu that includes steak and mushroom pie with parsley mash, fillet of beef with lyonnaise potatoes or baked cod with a herb and lobster sauce.
