SportSG announced today that it would be celebrating Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medal by holding a open top bus victory parade on Thursday (Aug 18). The victory parade is subject to clearance by the authorities and is scheduled for 9.30am. The parade is planned to start from Old Airport Road, through to Marine Parade, Somerset, Orchard Road and Raffles City.
SportSG would be celebrating Joseph Schooling’s Olympic gold clinched in the men’s 100m butterfly final at a record timing of 50.39s.
A sports official who got in touch with us to comment on the topic said that SportSG is being insensitive to the athletes who are still fighting in Rio by organising the open top bus parade now when some Olympic athletes are still fighting in Rio.
The official who commented on conditions of anonymity said: “To organise an open top is usually done at end of games for all athletes or winners. Not during the Games!”
“And the leader of the mission is still in Rio,” he added.
The official further said: “this is really downright insensitive and smacks of a government agency trying to steal the limelight.”