Singapore president, praised PH Olympians’ success

AFTER leading the list of Southeast Asian countries at the just concluded 2024 Paris Olympics, Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, praised Filipino athletes’ major accomplishment. 

Yesterday, when the Singaporean president arrived for a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., he highlighted how significant the event was for Southeast Asia. 

Photo Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office | Facebook

He particularly praised and singled out double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo as the only athlete in the Southeast Asian region to win multiple gold medals in a single Summer Games appearance.

Shanmugaratnam acknowledged that witnessing the Philippines’ golden glory in the quadrennial sporting event gives him a sense of pride, demonstrating that sports is much more than just the competition it offers.

“I should say, by the way, that, and you know, these things do matter. There was just something very impressive about the performance of Filipino athletes of the Olympic games,” he said in his opening statement.

“Mr. Yulo’s two golds … he’s the only athlete from Southeast Asia, from an ASEAN nation whose had two Olympic golds ever. So, it’s a real milestone. It’s a real milestone for all of us.”

Photo Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office | Facebook

He also stated that the country’s success in the tournament helped the Southeast Asian region shine, stating, “I mean, we shine a bit of a reflected glory of the Philippines.” 

Pres. Marcos Jr. was all smiles and beaming with delight as he listened to the Singaporean president praise the star gymnast and the entire delegation that participated in the Olympics.

Celebrate the Heroes

Marcos, for his part, thanked Shanmugaratnam for his kind remarks and stated that the entire country was proud of the Olympians, as seen by the warm greeting they received on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We had a bit of that just the other night when our Olympians came home, and came here. And that’s what I was telling everyone that tonight, it’s not about us. We’re just a reflected glory over here and trying to be part of the achievements of our athletes,” said Marcos.

“We’re very, very proud. The welcome that the people gave was really overwhelming. Yesterday, we had a big parade through the city because Yulo, who won two golds, comes from the city of Manila,” he added.

Photo Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office | Facebook

It should be noted that the Philippine Centennial Team achieved the country’s best overall performance (37th) in the Olympics, with Yulo winning two gold medals and Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio winning two bronze medals each. 

The two leaders of state signed agreements on mutual interests during their meeting at Malacañang on Thursday. The visit commemorates the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore.

At the end of the day, tallies are just tallies; the connections between neighboring nations are more significant. After all, a neighboring country’s brilliant achievement always has an impact on the others collectively.