On Wednesday (14 Aug), an open-top bus parade was held to celebrate the return of the athletes who had represented Singapore at the Paris Olympics.
Ten Team Singapore athletes, including Olympic bronze medallist Max Maeder, were cheered on by throngs of fans at various points around the island.
The open-top celebratory bus passed Marina Bay, Orchard Road, Serangoon Road, Chinatown, and Victoria Street.
From endearing handmade signs to surprise appearances from the athletes’ family members, here are seven memorable moments that MS News captured from the day of the parade.
The parade began at the Singapore Sports Hub, where the Olympians were already snapping pictures with their fans, young and old.
Perched on the shoulders of her mother, a young girl held a ‘We Love You Max’ sign.
It appeared to be adorably hand-drawn — with Max’s name written in large block letters and only two letters coloured in.
She had also taken the creative liberty to decorate the background with a smattering of dots.
Max spotted the young fan, and graciously received the sign from her.
He also posed with the drawing in several group photos.
As the athletes’ bus passed by Victoria Street, they were greeted by a crowd that had gathered in anticipation of catching a glimpse of the Olympians.
Among those present were Max Maeder’s parents, Valentin Maeder and Teng Hwee Keng.
In a post-parade doorstop interview, Max shared that he spotted his mother in the crowd and blew a kiss to her.
“The only time I blew a kiss to someone was to my mother,” he told local media.
Apart from his parents, several Max Maeder fans were spotted at Victoria Street.
Two of them stood out, having brought large props of their own. The pair held onto kiteboards adorned with the Team Singapore flag.
Meanwhile, other bystanders recorded the moment when the bus parade passed by.
Heartwarming scenes were also spotted at Little India as crowds gathered to cheer on the athletes with flags and signboards.
One sign, in particular, was different from the rest.
A lady in beige held up a sign specially made for Max that said ‘We are proud of you Max Maeder!’.
She also added a little extra touch — a curry puff.
Max had always been vocal about his love of curry puffs, and listed it as one his favourite foods.
He also reiterated his love of curry puffs during the pre-parade doorstop interview, saying that it was one of the foods he missed most while competing in Paris.
The bus parade also passed by Hill Street, where the Central Fire Station is located.
There, they were greeted by numerous firefighters who had taken time out of their busy schedules to support the returning athletes.
Standing on the balconies of the station, the officers waved flags and inflatable noise makers.
During a traffic light stop in the Bugis area, Max Maeder had a lighthearted exchange with two tourists on the ground.
Upon hearing that they are Australian, Max shouted “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” in which they replied “Oi, Oi, Oi!”.
Max then laughed and joked, “I tried to do that at the Olympic Village. None of the Aussies said ‘Oi, Oi, Oi’ back. It was a shame.”
The largest crowd that gathered was outside the School of the Arts (SOTA), comprising of students and members of the public.
Even before the bus passed the school, cheers could be heard from a distance away.
A sea of red flags and boisterous cheers from a crowd of over 200 people welcomed the athletes.
Despite the intermittent wet weather, Singaporeans had still taken time out of their day to cheer on the athletes. Even office workers had sacrificed their lunch break to catch a glimpse of the celebratory parade.
As captured above, many of the supporters prepared signs showing their appreciation for the hard work of the athletes.
“I think [the athletes] spent a lot of time not just at the Olympics, but the lead up to it in the fight for qualification,” said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Edwin Tong prior to the parade.
“The training, the daily training environment, the sacrifices that they made, the competitions that they take part in, to hone their skills to be up against the world’s best… I hope that we come out and cheer them on.”
Also read: Max Maeder & Olympic athletes cheered on by S’poreans during open-top bus celebratory parade
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Featured image adapted from MS News.
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