Editorial: Our fantastic Northern Ireland Olympic heroes deserve an open top bus tour through Belfast

​Look at the pictures at the front of this newspaper and opposite (in the print edition, also on this website) of the joy that there was in Coleraine at the gold medal won by Hannah Scott.​

Think back to yesterday’s newspaper, when we ran similar pictures of the gold-winning swimmer Daniel Wiffen being greeted by adoring fans and loved ones at Magheralin in Co Down, on his return from Paris. Both events are a reminder of the stunning Olympic success of athletes from Northern Ireland.

The tally was extraordinary – four golds, and seven overall medals, shared by six competitors representing Team Ireland and Team GB.

The number of medals was, pro rata to population, better even than Team GB, which had its third best Olympics tally ever.

Daniel Wiffen, Jack McMillan, Rhys McClenaghan, Hannah Scott, Rebecca Shorten, Philip Doyle for their success in swimming, gymnastics and rowing.

They are heroes and also ambassadors – for Northern Ireland, for young people, and for their sports.

Dame Mary Peters, herself an Olympic hero, winning gold in Munich in 1972, has been on hand to meet these latest medal winners, more than half a century later. Dame Mary has devoted her life to pushing sporting endeavour and success and also good relations in NI.

Another sporting and goodwill ambassador, the former Ireland rugby international, Trevor Ringland, has suggested a bus tour by the victors. This idea is not just apt but overdue almost a week after the end of the games, with no such plan in sight. The six medal winners should be driven on an open top bus through central Belfast.

The deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly and the communities minister Gordon Lyons need to take the initiative in arranging this public recognition, so that people can show their appreciation for athletes who have proved themselves the best in the world.