Three national athletes will be competing in the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The national flag was given to Hajah Umi Kalthum binti Haji Abdul Karim, chef de mission and director of youth and sports for the Brunei Darussalam contingent, by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah, President of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, yesterday during a ceremony held in the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium’s green room.
The eight members of the contingent are the national swimmers Muhammad Noor Firdaus Ar-Rasyid bin Haji Mohd Idris and Hayley Wong Ann Yue, as well as the sprinter Zeke Chan Zhi Yue.
The 100-meter breaststroke competitor Chan expressed his gratitude for being chosen to compete for the nation at the Olympics, saying that his training has been going well.
He also claimed to have spent a month in Singapore, where he trained alongside elite swimmers, which inspired him to work even harder in his training. He continued, “This really helped with my preparation.”
Wong, on the other hand, is the female flag carrier for Brunei Darussalam and is competing in the women’s 100m breaststroke. She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to represent the country.
My goal has always been to participate in the Olympics, the greatest athletic event in the world.
“There, I hope to break my personal record and make new friends from all over the world. I will give it my all.”
This is Muhammad Noor Firdaus Ar-Rasyid’s second Olympics, according to the men’s 100-meter sprint competitor.
“I want to get the best result I can this season,” he declared. “It would be an amazing accomplishment if I could surpass my personal best time of 10.48 from the previous year.”
He stated that the Olympics will be his first significant competition this year that takes place outside of the nation, adding that he has been training as usual.
I did compete in three competitions this year in a neighboring country through self-funding in order to get better,” he continued.
He continued by saying that he thought the Olympics in Paris would be different from the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, which were subject to numerous restrictions because of COVID-19.
He remarked, “We hope to experience the atmosphere of many spectators cheering on all the athletes.”
The athletes were chosen for the event yesterday, according to Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad, who stated that the athletes were chosen because of their dedication and hard work.
He urged the contingent to “display your best performance through healthy competition against other athletes,” adding that they should refrain from damaging the nation’s reputation and keep their composure throughout the competition.
Brunei Darussalam is taking part in the Olympic Games for the seventh time. – James Kon.