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First Minister hosts Scottish Olympians
05/09/2008
The 31 athletes chosen to participate in Beijing 2008 are proof of Scotlands world-class sporting talent, First Minister Alex Salmond said today.
The First Minister was speaking ahead of a reception for Scottish Olympians, which he is hosting in Edinburgh Castle this evening, in recognition of their sporting achievements.
Guests include Chris Hoy and Katherine Grainger - whose collective talents won four of Scotlands six medals.
Medalists and team members will also be joined by those who contributed to the success of the games, and piped in by the Mains of Fintry Pipe Band who performed for the opening ceremony. Also attending will be support staff, sportscotland, sport governing bodies and friends and family of the athletes.
The First Minister said:
Its a pleasure to celebrate Scotland's tremendous success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to honour all the athletes who competed and to congratulate our medallists for their magnificent achievements.
The dedication, drive and determination each of our Olympians has shown is inspirational. Their efforts will not only provide encouragement to other athletes but also inspire many ordinary men and women to take up a sport and make healthier, positive changes to their lifestyle.
Those are changes the Scottish Government is keen to support, and which we have backed up with record investment in sportscotland of 134 million pounds over the next three years.
As we prepare for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, I have every confidence Scotland can look forward to further success inspired by the historic achievements in Beijing. Scotland will continue cheering on all our athletes with great pride and of course, very high hopes.
Id also like to take this opportunity to send Scotlands support to all athletes preparing for the Paralympics, which begin tomorrow. Its a great achievement for Scotland's paralympians to compete at the highest level and I look forward to celebrating with them in the future.
A reception for Scottish paralypians will be held in Stirling Castle in the near future.