A heroes’ welcome confirmed for Waipā champions

Our champions are coming home.

Paris Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be welcomed home to Waipā this December with a family-focused celebration in Cambridge, following New Zealand’s most successful Olympic campaign in history.

Mayor Susan O’Regan will lead the official Civic welcome for our hometown heroes at a twilight community event on Friday, December 13.

The date has been set to coincide with the return of athletes from other international competitions following the Olympics and to align with local competitions.

The five silver medallists from the women’s cycling sprint and pursuit teams have confirmed they will be taking part, along with para cyclists, the women’s rowing double scull crew, Nacra mixed sailor and marathon runner. Athletes and coaches from other sporting codes are expected to confirm their availability in the coming days.

Mayor Susan said it is not every day you get to meet an Olympic champion – let alone see a medal up close!

“We were incredibly lucky to have 48 athletes representing Waipā on the world stage at these Games.”

An impressive 12 medals were won between them, reaffirming Waipā as the home of champions.

“Like so many Waipā families, we just couldn’t get enough of the Games and this event will help build connections for our community and these sporting heroes, inspiring the next generation of Waipā champions,” O’Regan said.

The event will cap off the ‘We love Waipā’ campaign, which would not have been such a success without the community getting onboard, submitting their good luck videos and attending the Fan Festival event in August. More details on athlete attendance, event details and location will be confirmed in the coming weeks.