Unfortunately, blagging isn’t currently recognised as an olympic discipline, but if it was, this pair of jokers would be in contention for a medal.
If you didn’t already know, thousands of people gathered in Manchester yesterday to show their appreciation for Team GB, as the medal-winning Olympic and Paralympic athletes were paraded through the city in the pouring rain.
It was a fitting celebration of their remarkable collective achievement, and almost certainly the high point of an otherwise rubbish year.
Amidst all the excitement, two guys somehow managed to sneak into the parade and pass themselves off as participants. Decked out in white adidas Team GB tracksuits with plastic medals, the pair slipped security and hopped onto a float carrying the women’s hockey team and modern pentathlon athletes, according to The Manchester Evening News.
They couldn’t keep it up, though, and were eventually busted by a Sky News reporter. When asked what they’d won at the Rio games, one of the pretenders literally ballsed up their cover story in his opening sentence, responding: “So that was the Olympics… Sorry, the fencing in the Olympics.”
The journalist then said: “Was it a blagging Olympics, was it?”
The game was up.
Two imposters blagged their way onto the Olympic heroes parade using #TeamGB tracksuits and plastic medals https://t.co/FB6cWm3Rvs
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 18, 2016
After explaining that they’d just decided to chance it with their phoney medals, the pair said they planned to get off at the next stop.
Sky News said the legitimate athletes on the float had suspected they weren’t meant to be there, but were amused rather than threatened.
Still, it does raise a few questions about security at the event. The MEN reported that other officials and media representatives had to be checked and accredited beforehand. The pranksters hardly had to try.
A spokesman for the British Olympic Association said: “We are aware of the matter, and are disappointed anyone would want to detract from the athletes’ celebration.
“This did not spoil anyone’s enjoyment of a wonderful event.”
The Olympic and Paralympic athletes are due to take part in a second parade in London today, before meeting the Queen in Buckingham Palace.
