As the Paralympic Flame continues its journey today from Stoke Mandeville, the spiritual home of the Paralympic Movement, to Stratford, which will be the scene for 11 more days of world-class sport following this evening's Opening Ceremony, everyone connected with Team GB is offering our full support to our good friends, colleagues and "Our Greatest Teammates" at ParalympicsGB.

There is no doubt in my mind that the passionate support of the home crowd inspired Team GB's athletes to achieve our greatest medal haul for over a century – 29 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals – during the Olympic Games. So let's reignite that spark and get right behind ParalympicsGB with the same level of enthusiasm and support that we experienced during the Olympics.

Over 12 months ago we decided to join forces with the British Paralympic Association (BPA) to bring Team GB and ParalympicsGB under one banner – Our Greatest Team – with a shared sense of national pride and a shared ambition to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity for British sport. With the support of the nation behind us, Our Greatest Team at London 2012 is 900 athletes, 60 million strong. As we share our central London office space with the BPA, we have seen firsthand the detailed planning and preparation that has gone into delivering ParalympicsGB to the Games and I would like to personally congratulate BPA chief executive Tim Hollingsworth, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter, the entire support team and the athletes of ParalympicsGB – and wish them all the very best for success during the exciting days that lie ahead.


As announced earlier this week, following the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, the athletes of Team GB and ParalympicsGB will join together for the Our Greatest Team Parade through the streets of London on September 10. This will be a fantastic finale to an unforgettable summer of sport and will be a chance to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the outstanding group of athletes who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2012 Games. Importantly, it also gives the members of Team GB and ParalympicsGB an opportunity to show their appreciation and gratitude for the extraordinary support they have received.

Before that, I urge you to give ParalympicsGB and the Paralympic Games your full support over the next 11 days.  I am certain that the Great British public will once again deliver a gold medal performance in supporting Our Greatest Team at London 2012.

Andy Hunt is the Team GB Chef de Mission and chief executive of the British Olympic Association (BOA)