Birmingham is set to give some of the London 2012 Olympic heroes a massive welcome at a sold-out athletics meeting in the city.

Double gold medallist Mo Farah will headline a star-studded line-up at the Birmingham Aviva Grand Prix on Sunday.

A total of 16 gold winners and 42 medallists overall from the London Olympics will take to the track.

Fellow Olympic Team GB long jump gold medallist Greg Rutherford, along with silver 400-metre runner Christine Ohuruogu, will also take part.

It is the first major event to take place in the UK since the hugely successful Olympics – and the city’s athletics fans will be out in force.

Mo Farah, 29, said: “I’m looking forward to coming back to the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix. It was a special atmosphere there last year and another victory would be great. It’s a big year for athletics in the UK.

“The crowd has really got behind me on home soil in 2012, and I’m sure they’ll be in high spirits to cheer on the returning Olympic contingent in Birmingham.”

To deal with the numbers going to the event at the Alexander Stadium in Great Barr, the council has created its own version of the infamous ‘Olympic lanes’.

Motorists using the busy A34 Walsall Road towards the Alexander Stadium venue can see massive yellow signs outlining designated lanes for Pass Holders’ Only and VIPs erected on the main approach to the stadium.

But while Londoners faced hefty fines if they dared to stray into the limo-only stretches of road around the capital, the traffic management instructions are solely designed to avoid major jams around the stadium and to help officials get to the venue with minimum delay.

There will also be special lanes for buses heading along the A34 from the Scott Arms area of Great Barr to Perry Barr.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said the signs were put up to guide the thousands of vehicles heading to the 17,000-seater stadium and denied they were the city’s own version of the capital’s infamous Olympic Lanes.

“They have been put up to give motorists early warning of what lane they should be using to try to keep the traffic moving,” she said.

“It’s for guidance only and they have been successfully used before in the area.

“People are not going to be in trouble for driving in the wrong lane.”

Meanwhile, West Midlands Olympics gymnastics hero Kristian Thomas was given a rapturous, but rain-soaked, welcome on his return to his home club this week.

The 23-year-old, who landed a bronze medal in the men’s team event, was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers at the Earls Gymnastics Club in Halesowen.

Thomas, who began training at the club aged just five, signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans who had waited outside the club amid torrential rain.

After being greeted by the Mayor of Dudley and other dignitaries, Thomas thanked members of the public and fellow club members for their support, both during the Olympics and at his homecoming.

The athlete told fans gathered inside the Earls sports hall: “I am so grateful to everyone that has turned out. I was sort of settling down into a normal daily routine and I have come here to the Olympic hype again – it’s absolutely fantastic.”

After posing for the cameras with pupils and his Olympic medal, Thomas, who helped win Britain’s first men’s gymnastics team medal since 1912, added: “It’s been a complete whirlwind.”

Jon Caulwell, chairman of Earls Gymnastics Club, said Kristian had worked tirelessly to reach the very top of his sport.

“Kristian has helped raise the profile of his sport, his club and the Black Country and truly deserves the hero’s welcome,” he said.

Double Olympic cycling champion Laura Trott was back on her bike in a visit to Birmingham to inspire the next generation to go for gold.

The 20-year-old was the star guest at the Birmingham Sky Ride, which saw cars banished from a six-mile route around Edgbaston as 18,000 people took to two wheels instead of four.

Trott was with her parents, Adrian and Glenda, who introduced her to the sport which led her to omnium and team pursuit glory at the Games.

“It’s lovely to see so many families here because that’s how I got into cycling,” she said. “If, between the Olympics and Sky Ride, we can inspire the next generation then that’s fantastic.”