As the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo started last week, local residents told The Macau Post Daily yesterday that they have been watching the Olympics and will always support their country.

When asked about the sports that they are most interested in, 17-year-old local student Kristin said that it must be the nation’s most representative sport – ping pong. She also praised table tennis player Liu Shiwen who so far has only competed in two Olympics but has won many world championships, which she thought was very admirable.

The Tokyo Olympics receives a lot of attention and even children are very supportive. Two local kids said that they cared about swimming and fencing the most, and they cheered for the athletes. Both of them stressed that the Olympics has made them more patriotic.

Meanwhile, Arthur, who is a mainland university student, said that when his country’s athletes stand on the podium and the national anthem is played, he is deeply touched by the moment. He added that he had a strong sense of national pride at moments like this.

A local middle-aged Filipina resident told The Macau Post Daily that the Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diazin won the first gold medal for her country, adding that she was very excited and proud of Diazin.

When talking about Macau, a local senior citizen said that it was pity that Macau can’t participate in the Olympics. He said he was hoping to see local athletes in the Olympics next time.

Moreover, he pointed out that “it is really difficult to be an athlete. They have been training hard since they were young.” He also underlined that all Chinese people should appreciate their efforts whether they win gold or not, as everyone deserves applause and praise.

Macau is not a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as it failed to apply for membership when it was still possible for territories to join the IOC. Nowadays, only independent states are newly admitted. China is represented in Tokyo by three IOC members – China (mainland), “Hong Kong, China” and Chinese Taipei.

However, Macau is a member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) under the designation “Macao, China”.

A local student watches the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 on a laptop yesterday. Photo: Vivian Lam