Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth
Team Singapore athletes

Welcome back to Singapore!

First, let me congratulate each and every one of you for your remarkable achievement of representing our nation at the Olympics. To compete on this world stage is a feat that most people can only dream of. Thank you for flying our Singapore flag high in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

There are no shortcuts to becoming an Olympian. You have all put in an incredible amount of hard work and sacrifice to accomplish this feat. The sheer effort and determination that you have taken to reach this stage, especially with the disruptions and uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, is tremendous. You can be proud of yourself, regardless of what results you have achieved and what others say, and we are proud of you too.

Emotions run high in sports, including from fans and spectators. It is one of the many aspects of sports that captivates. During this period, every social media post and media coverage got thousands of people supporting and appreciating your efforts, and many stand inspired by you. As part of receiving diverse opinions in a public space, some may have questioned your abilities or dedication. A few may have made hateful comments.

Rather than paying attention to them, I urge you to take a step back and be assured that no one can take away your dedication to excellence. Ignore those harsh words and use that energy to spur you on to your next goal instead.

Each one of you has been an inspiration. When you competed in the Games over the past few weeks, many of us back home were glued to the TV to witness your exhibition of skill and passion on the world stage. I am sure that many young Singaporeans were inspired by you.

An old proverb says it takes a village to raise a child. I think it goes without saying that it will take more than a village to raise a child to be an Olympian. So let me also take this opportunity to thank your family, coaches, sport scientists and medical teams for supporting you on your sporting journey so far. Stakeholders from across the sporting ecosystem will have to continue working hard to create an environment where our athletes can thrive, and our future athletes can be nurtured. As Olympians, I hope that you will use your experience and knowledge in this regard, and give back to the fraternity, so that we can build a better sporting nation.

For many of you, this was your first appearance at an Olympics. It must have been quite an experience, and one that I am sure will fuel your aspirations towards achieving greater heights of sporting excellence and returning to this global stage in the future. Be it in Paris 2024, LA28, Brisbane 2032, and everything in between, we are all behind you as OneTeamSG.

On behalf of all Singaporeans, I want to say a big thank you to all our Olympians.

Thank you.