Despite a downpour during the lunch hours, ten of Team Singapore’s athletes returned from the Paris Olympics and embarked on an open-top bus celebratory parade on Wednesday (14 Aug), donning ponchos when the rain got heavier at certain moments.
The contingent included bronze medallist in kitefoiling Max Maeder, badminton players Terry Hee, Jessica Tan and Yeo Jia Min, as well as swimmer Gan Ching Hwee.
Sailor Ryan Lo, kayaker Stephenie Chen, paddlers Izaac Quek and Zhou Jingyi, and sprinter Marc Brian Louis were also present on the open-top bus as crowds cheered them on following their performances in Paris.
Crowds were out in full force at all points, from the moment the bus left the Sports Hub to the various cheer points along Marina Bay, Orchard Road, Serangoon Road, Chinatown, and Victoria Street.
Even before the bus set off on its parade with the Olympic athletes, there was already a crowd gathered outside the Singapore Sports Hub.
Maeder was certainly the man of the moment, with many hopeful fans eager to ask for an autograph or a photo with the bronze medallist.
He never denied any request throughout and greeted everyone he met with a smile.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Edwin Tong and Ms Grace Fu, President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, came to congratulate the athletes before they left for the parade and presented them with garlands of orchids.
“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 Mr Tong before 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.”
He also hoped to see Singaporeans cheer on the athletes to show their support for the nation’s sportspeople.
And come out they did.
One young fan brought a sign that read: “We Love You Max”, which she was able to pass to Maeder.
The kitefoiler gamely posed with the sign for pictures afterwards.
Although it rained at several points during the parade, it did little to dampen spirits. The athletes put on ponchos and remained on the top deck, while members of the public braved the rain to cheer the athletes on.
Others took to sheltered walkways and overhead bridges.
Outside the Ministry of Digital Development & Information office, a crowd had gathered despite the rain, waving Team Singapore flags.
But by far the loudest and largest crowd was to be found outside the School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA), where at least 200 had gathered.
MS News observed that students and other members of the public could already be heard cheering when the bus approached from afar.
Even though the athletes only passed by the school later, their voices carried on.
A sea of red, many of them volunteers, had also gathered at Chinatown.
“It’s wonderful to get to see everyone here, and I’m happy that we all came together as a team,” Maeder told the media during a doorstop interview.
He also “slept like a baby” on the flight home from Paris to Singapore and professed that he’s been “getting a lot of sleep” so he would not need to alter his sleep cycle drastically to recover after the Games.
Following the bus ride, Gan said she was heartened to see Singaporeans rally together to support Team Singapore.
“It was an experience I’d never forget,” she added.
“[It was] beautiful to see,” Maeder said on the response they got during the parade. “My heart melted.”
His parents, Hwee Keng and Valentin, were present at Victoria Street to cheer him on too.
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Featured image by MS News.
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