Britain basks in Olympic glory

Basking in post-Olympic glory, Britain succumbed to reality on Monday with commuters venturing back to work and Heathrow Airport experiencing one of its busiest days ever. Thousands of athletes began a mass exodus from London and turned their thoughts to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, as Britain basked in the adulation for a Games that electrified billions of viewers around the globe. Athletes from France, Belgium and the Netherlands have crowded into London’s St Pancras train station as they wait for Eurostar services to take them home from the Olympics. Athletes were serenaded by a Beatles tribute act at the station on Monday as they waited for their trains to depart, and cheered by a crowd of fans as they finally pulled away. Many left with little sleep after a glittering closing ceremony featuring The Who, the Spice Girls, George Michael and Brazilian football legend Pele entertaining a crowd of 80,000 at the Olympic Stadium. The ceremony also saw the Olympic flag handed over to the mayor of Rio, a symbolic transfer which launches the four-year countdown to the 2016 Games. From : Gulftoday