Thousands cheer on Paralympians in celebratory bus parade

Chan Fui Lee was all cheers as an open-top bus carrying 10 Singapore Paralympians who competed in the Paris Games drove past the bustling Orchard Road shopping precinct.

The housewife, 55, has a 21-year-old daughter with a rare chromosome disorder and autism spectrum disorder, and knows how hard it is for those with disabilities to deal with challenging circumstances.

“Despite their disabilities and physical challenges, (Singapore’s para-athletes) put in a lot of effort to achieve what they did. We’re so proud of them,” she said.

“Because of her severe health issues, I know my daughter won’t be able to become a para-athlete. But no matter what, I’m proud of her and wanted to bring her here to support Team Singapore.”

Chan was among about 3,000 supporters who turned up in force to welcome home Singapore’s 10 Paralympians at a celebratory parade on Sept 14.

There were roars of excitement as the bus wended its way through four designated “cheer points”: Chinatown, Orchard Road, Serangoon Road and Victoria Street, before it returned to the Singapore Sports Hub. 

The para-athletes on board were Yip Pin Xiu, Toh Wei Soong and Sophie Soon (para-swimming), Diroy Noordin (para-athletics), Daniel Chan (para-shooting), Laurentia Tan, Gemma Foo and Hilary Su (para-equestrian), Jeralyn Tan (boccia) and Nur Syahidah Alim (para-archery).

The contingent returned from Paris on Sept 10 after their best showing at a Paralympics, where they clinched two golds and a silver.

In Orchard Road, where more than 200 supporters gathered, the family of swimmer Toh Wei Soong stood out with a red handmade banner.

His aunt, Jennifer Hu, 61, waved the banner proudly as her nephew passed by on the bus.

Hu, who is self-employed, said it took her two weeks to design it and nearly seven hours to sew it. “I made it just for him before he left for Paris to tell him how much I support him.”

Her sister, Fiona Hu, 70, was all smiles as she spoke about their nephew, but choked up as she recalled how she saw Toh competing on television.

“It was emotional for us to watch him swim. We were on tenterhooks all the time and just hoping he would do his best, and he did,” she said.

Yip’s coach Mick Massey was also in Orchard Road to root for the Paralympians.

Recalling the hard work put in by double-gold medallist Yip leading up to the Games, he said: “The preparation was extreme, and it was hard. For Pin Xiu, there’s a huge weight of expectation because she’s won before.

“So there’s a little bit of apathy that ‘oh, she’ll win again’. That pressure is something only the likes of the athlete, the coach and her close supporters would know about.”

Massey said he and Yip will take a well-deserved break before starting preparation for the World Para Swimming Championships, which will be held in Singapore in September 2025.

Over in Victoria Street, the last designated cheer point on the route, a crowd of around 60 had converged by 12.30pm.

Among them were Yip’s parents, Yip Chee Khiong, 69, and Margaret Yip, 69, who waited patiently to catch a glimpse of their daughter. 

Margaret, a retiree, said she was honoured and happy to see her daughter on the bus. “I’m so happy to celebrate her great achievement of her goal of putting Singapore on the map,” she said.

She said her “heart was racing” when she watched Yip at the Paris Games.

“I really hope that she will always be happy, enjoy her sport and be healthy,” she said, adding that she cannot wait to celebrate her daughter’s victories.

Carolyn Sim, 46, and her 53-year-old husband had driven to Victoria Street from the first cheer point at Chinatown, where they were earlier in the day, to catch another glimpse of Singapore’s Paralympians. 

“It’s just what we can do to show our support,” she said.

“I watched Jeralyn grow up,” she said, referring to para-athlete Jeralyn Tan, who won a silver in boccia on Sept 2.

Sim, who works in marketing, volunteered with the boccia community at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, adding that “it’s amazing to see how she and the team have grown”.

Boccia means “to bowl” in Italian, and the aim of the game is to bowl balls as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the jack.

She said she was moved to tears when she saw Tan compete.

“I remember staying up late for her races, and being so touched seeing her play boccia.

“Representation is so important, and supporting them can help them to grow. It is encouraging to see more support for them as a nation, and more awareness being raised.”