Olympics: We look at the legacy of the Rio games.

Plans to honour Olympic medallists with gongs as team returns home

You have made the entire country proud ... ROYAL STATEMENT

Team GB’s stars have received the royal seal of approval for their Rio performance as Downing Street announced there will be no cap on honours for Olympic medal winners.

Congratulating them, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry said the team was an “inspiration to us all, young and old”.

“London 2012 was a hard act to follow, but you have made the entire country proud of everything you have accomplished,” the royals said in a statement.

“We all know that this success does not come easy and is the culmination of years of hard work, passionate commitment, sheer grit and determination.”

Britain won a total of 67 medals at the games – two more than the remarkable haul in London four years ago.

The hard-earned collection from Rio included 27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze – the biggest medal count for the nation in more than a century.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “extremely proud” of the team’s achievement following the “amazing” games and wants to see that success recognised.

Her official spokeswoman said the “honours are there to recognise and reward people” such as the country’s Olympic athletes.

“To surpass what we did in London and become the first country to ever achieve that at the next away Games is a great achievement,” the spokeswoman added.

“In terms of honours, there is an independent process. There is no formal cap on the number of honours that can be awarded.”

Those members of the squad who stayed in Rio for Sunday night’s closing ceremony will return home tomorrow.

British Airways flight BA2016 will carry Team GB back to Heathrow decorated with a gold nose and the name “victoRIOus” on its livery.

The Boeing 747 will be ferrying 320 athletes and support staff – as well as pole vaults, javelins, bicycles and a 6.7 metre sail.

The flight will also be loaded with 77 extra Champagne bottles and treats for team members, who will be offered a three-course menu.

The success of athletes including Mo Farah, Nicola Adams, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott spurred the team into second place in the official medal table, ahead of China. The US was top.

Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, said the success was down to two decades of hard work and investment in British sport.

“It has been a brilliant Games but this is not an overnight success,” he said.

“Thanks to the contribution of the National Lottery players via UK Sport and their investment, this is 20 years in the making and we’ve now enjoyed five successive Games of medal growth.”

How best can Britain honour its Olympic heroes?

It has been suggested every one of the medal winners from Rio should be included on the official honours list.

Many have already been given such prestigious awards for previous sporting achievement and would have to get significant upgrades.

Some, such as Mo Farah and Andy Murray, would be worthy of knighthoods.

Homecoming parades are being arranged for Team GB, with a separate one for the Scottish squad members.

Some of the most high profile stars can expect to be inundated with advertising opportunities and lucrative sponsorship deals.

The honours list exists to give those who have excelled in their chosen field recognition they deserve but may not otherwise receive.

It is a tainted system for many, packed as it so often is with political cronies and moneymen.

After the London Olympics, a post box was painted gold in the home town of every gold medal winner.

It was a classy touch, with the boxes serving as a community reminder of the greatness to which they can aspire and they provide local a tourism boost — just look at the centre of Dunblane any day for evidence of that.

It would be an easy thing to hand out a series of gongs but perhaps something more imaginative could be arranged.

Picture: Getty. Double gold medallist Mo Farah dances for joy after winning his second gold.