Guard of honour

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Military and diplomatic

A ceremonial guard of honour is a military practice to honour the fallen in war, or to honour visiting foreign dignitaries. A guard of honour is also a ceremony for public figures who have died.

A Guard of Honour could have a single service contingent (e.g. army) or it could be a tri service (inter service) affair. The Guard Commander, after saluting the dignitory (usually head of state), marches up to him and escorts him to inspect the Guard (soldiers in formation). During the salute, the national anthems of both the dignitory's country and the host country are usually played by a ceremonial band.

Sports

In football (soccer), teams show their appreciation to the champions of their own division. This involves the players of one team applauding the league winners (the other team) as they appear onto the pitch. The applauding team forms two lines to make a corridor, and the league winners run through the corridor, single file. For example, in the 2004-05 season, Manchester United performed one for the league winners Chelsea. Newcastle United also performed one on the last day of the season for Chelsea. Chelsea performed one for Manchester United, the 2006/07 Champions of the English Premier League at the match between the two clubs at Stamford Bridge (stadium). Scottish Premier league team Rangers F.C squad performed the guard of honour for departing tallisman Dado Prso as he was a great influence on and off the field for the squad. On May 7, 2008, FC Barcelona formed the guard of honour for arch rivals Real Madrid after winning the 2007/08 season. This was ahead of the 152nd installment of El Clasico.

In Australian rules football, players will often form a guard of honour for those who are leaving the field after a landmark game or on their retirement game. For example, Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club formed a guard in 2005 to honour Indian Ocean tsunami victim Troy Broadbridge. Collingwood Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club formed a guard of honour in 2006 for retiring player Saverio Rocca, who forged a successful goalkicking career at both clubs.

In cricket, the guard of honour is used to celebrate the achievement of a player (usually a batsman). Normally used during a player's final game, it has also been used when a player breaks a world record. The players's team mates form a tunnel, with their bats forming the roof, & the successful player walks through. Notable use of the guard of honour includes the two times Brian Lara broke the world record for the highest individual score in test cricket and when Inzamam ul Haq retired from both ODIs and Test cricket.

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