More than 1,000 people gathered at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) this afternoon to welcome the Malaysian athletes who participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Also present was Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor and several cabinet ministers.

Prior to their arrival at the Bunga Raya Complex, national shuttler Tan Wee Kiong’s brother, Yun Ying, 15, told Malaysiakini that he could not wait to give his brother a hug and congratulate him.

“I know he did his best and our family is proud of him,” he said.

Tan and Goh V Shem won silver in the men’s badminton doubles.

The crowd, some of whom came with flowers and placards, also chanted the names of the Olympians, including that of badminton ace Lee Chong Wei.

The excitement of the fans was palpable as they waited the arrival of the Olympians, and when they finally did, they started to jostle and push to get a glimpse of them.

There were so many excited fans that the emcee and later Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin repeatedly asked them to leave the stage for safety purposes.

Najib compared the athletes to rock stars as the response they elicited from their fans was just as raucous.

"We were that close... I don't know how to describe... that close to winning the gold... but once again they are all (still) heroes in our eyes," he said in his speech. The prime minister seemed to be in high spirits, laughing and cracking several jokes.

After his speech, the athletes got off the stage and took pictures with and gave out autographs to their adoring fans.