'It’s beautiful to see': Singaporeans turn out in force to support Olympians on bus parade through the city

SINGAPORE: It rained on their bus parade, but Singapore’s Olympians - with a bronze medallist in tow - were not fazed. 

The 10 athletes - including kitefoiling medallist Max Maeder, swimmer Gan Ching Hwee and shuttler Yeo Jia Min - were recipients of a warm reception by supporters who had lined the streets of Chinatown, Orchard, Serangoon, among other landmarks. 

“It’s beautiful to see, like I said, my heart melted, and I am very happy to see that people enjoyed the fact that we, as Team Singapore, came through and gave a wave hello to everyone,” said Maeder after the parade.

The bus parade set off at 11.30am from the Sports Hub in Kallang. Dark clouds loomed in the distance and it didn’t take long for the skies to open up when the bus passed through the central business district. 

The athletes scrambled for ponchos, but there was no question of anyone heading down to the lower deck of the bus for shelter as crowds braved the rain to cheer them on. 

Out came some umbrellas, while others cheered from sheltered areas - while others stood where they were. rain. 

“We were used to it in the opening ceremony in Paris,” said Maeder. “It seemed to us, (that) any time we got together, it starts raining.”

Other athletes that were part of the bus parade: Badminton mixed doubles pairing Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, kayaker Stephenie Chen, sprinter Marc Brian Louis, sailor Ryan Lo, and paddlers Izaac Quek and Zhou Jingyi.

At Marina Bay Sands, retiree Teng Gay Hong had waited for about 30 minutes for the athletes despite the rain.

“They go through a lot of training and it takes a lot of effort,” said the 65-year-old. “We should support Max. It doesn’t matter which medal he won. And it was a National Day present. Thank you, Max.”

She watched the