While Singapore's 23 athletes have been at the forefront of Olympic action, a team of officials from the Republic have also been toiling away quietly behind the scenes.
Across sports like hockey, football, table tennis and taekwondo, these men and women are living their dreams on the biggest stage.
Christabel Koh, 37, is at her first Games where she is a table tennis umpire, and said just being in Japan is a privilege. She earned the national umpire certification in 2004 and has handled 14 matches so far at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. She is one of only seven Asians selected for this role.
The solutions engineer at an IT company said in a phone interview: "It feels super sweet to be here. When I was younger, of course the dream was to compete at the Olympics but when it became clear that I was not going to become a player, this was the next goal."
Her movement in Tokyo has been heavily restricted. Officials are only allowed to go to the competition venue on match days and then back to their hotel. They must also submit a vial of saliva each day as part of rigorous Covid-19 testing.
Koh said: "There was a point where I thought my dream won't come true because of the pandemic. So to be here, even where there is no fanfare and with the restrictions in place, I am just overjoyed."
Taqi Aljaafari Jahari, 34, is equally thrilled. He is the first football referee from Singapore to serve at the Olympics and is deployed as a video assistant referee (VAR) for both the men and women's tournaments.
Calling it "an extraordinary and fantastic feeling", he said: "It came as a surprise for me. This reflects the confidence and belief that Fifa has in me as well as the credibility, quality, and high standards of a Singaporean match official."
The Tokyo Games are hockey technical official Lilian Chee's second Olympics after Rio 2016, but it feels like a completely new experience due to the pandemic.
The 46-year-old is in charge of the off-field management and ensuring players, team managers and coaches adhere to the rules and regulations. This time, that includes reminding those not in the field of play to wear their masks.
The director of industry marketing at the Singapore Tourism Board said: "Despite counting ourselves lucky to be here, all the officials are very focused on doing our respective jobs well and ensuring that safety is the top priority."
For Ng Ming Wei, his time in Tokyo feels bittersweet.
The 27-year-old won a silver at the 2019 SEA Games in taekwondo but his involvement is away from the mat.
He is working as a social media adviser to governing body World Taekwondo. Ng had initially hoped to compete in the Olympic qualifiers but eventually decided against it due to the uncertainties caused by the pandemic.
Ng, who is a hit on Instagram and TikTok for his quirky videos, said: "Promoting the sport on my social media channels has always been something that I had been doing, even as an athlete, so the chance to do it for a wider audience is an opportunity I cherish."
SINGAPOREAN OFFICIALS AT TOKYO 2020
ARCHERY David Tan (technical official)
DIVING William Lee (judge)
FENCING Eugene Chua (referee)
FOOTBALL Taqi Aljaafari Jahari (video assistant referee)
HOCKEY Lilian Chee (technical official); Lim Hong Zhen (umpire)
RUGBY Wang Shao-Ing (judicial officer)
SAILING Aileen Loo, Selvam
Mookken (technical officials)
SHOOTING Samuel Tong (shotgun referee)
SPORT CLIMBING Stanley Yeo (jury president)
TABLE TENNIS Christabel Koh (umpire)
TRIATHLON Omar Abu Bakar (chief lap auditor)
WATER POLO Jeremy Cheng (international technical official)
ANTI-DOPING OFFICIALS Tang Kwai Fong, Michael Tay, Wong Choong Hoong, Tay Soon Nghee, Tan Moh Lee, Michael Sua, Clara Cheng, Irene Tan, Lim Hong Loon, Evelyn Tan
PARALYMPICS 2020
BADMINTON Ser Bee Yee (umpire)
TRIATHLON Jasmine Ong (assistant aid station official)
