President Halimah to skip Tokyo Olympics visit due to COVID-19 'travel restrictions'

SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob will not attend this month's Tokyo Olympic Games due to COVID-19 "travel restrictions", she said on Thursday (Jul 1).

"Would have liked to be in Tokyo later this month to support TeamSG, but current COVID-19 travel restrictions have made it challenging for me to do so," said the president in a Facebook post. 

"Although we may not be able to physically support them in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions, but our athletes can always rely on us rallying behind #OneTeamSG."

Earlier in the day, Mdm Halimah met a number of athletes who will represent Singapore at the Games, including badminton players Yeo Jia Min and Loh Kean Yew, as well as fencer Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman.

The president was accompanied by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.

"Our Team Singapore athletes, including Paralympians, have trained hard and remained focus despite the many uncertainties and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, from disrupted training schedules to the various travel restrictions," Mdm Halimah said.

"But they have persevered and continued to train hard so that they can do Singapore proud. Their dedication and commitment is commendable."

Currently, 21 Singapore athletes across 10 sports have qualified for the Games.

The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to start in July last year, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Games are due to begin on Jul 23.

As Singapore’s Olympics Network, Mediacorp will be bringing you the widest coverage of Tokyo 2020. Go to mediacorp.sg/tokyo2020 for more details now.