'We can elevate S'pore sports': President Tharman encourages more corporate support at event honouring Olympians & Paralympians

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam encouraged more corporates to help take sports in Singapore further at the Team Singapore Reception for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"It has taken a village of dedicated coaches, sports scientists, medical personnel administrators and secretariats and of course, the volunteers," President Tharman said.

"I encourage our corporates especially to join in this effort, be a part of the village, and help take Singapore sports even further forward.

We can elevate Singapore sports. The best years are ahead of us, and we should all join this village, including our corporates."

He elaborated that corporations could donate to the One Team Singapore Fund or the National Sports Association.

An amazing achievement

President Tharman noted that making it to the Olympics and the Paralympics was "an amazing achievement, physically, mentally, and emotionally".

The 2024 Paralympics was Singapore's most successful outing, with Yip Pin Xiu winning two gold medals in swimming and Jeralyn Tan making history by winning Singapore's first silver Boccia medal.

"Pin Xiu wrote a new chapter in our sporting history with a remarkable ‘three-peat’ of double Golds.

This is her fifth Paralympic Games, but she continues to astound."

At 17, Max Maeder became Singapore's youngest Olympic medallist and also won Singapore's first medal in kite foiling.

President Tharman said Maeder's achievement helped inspire a new generation of young people to be fearless and to push the boundaries.

"It's not just success that inspires and that we are here to celebrate. It's really the mental toughness that each of you have shown. That ability to do your best against the odds," he said to the athletes present at the event.

Those in the arena

And he also paid tribute to the athletes who did not win medals.

"While we shared in the disappointment that some of you had when you did not advance even further, we also applaud you," he said.

President Tharman noted that shuttler Loh Kean Yew is the first Singaporean in 20 years to reach the badminton quarter-finals, while shooter Daniel Chan "displayed resilience" and narrowly missed out on a place in the finals.

He also mentioned athletes like shuttlers Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, fencers Amita Berthier and Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman, and paddlers Izaac Quek, Zeng Jian and Zhou Jing Yi.

"They gave their all and remained unfazed by stronger opponents. They will surely come up stronger in the years ahead," he said.

President Tharman concluded his speech by looking ahead to the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, U.S. in 2028.

"Singaporeans will continue to follow all our athletes on their sporting journeys to celebrate not only their wins, but to spur them on when they don't win."