As the sporting world gears up excitedly for Paris 2024, Olympians and debutants are particularly thrilled about the Summer Games.

This year’s event not only honours the spirit of the Olympics but also highlights the journey of athletes heading to the French capital.

On Olympic Day, our stars share their feelings about appearing at the global showpiece.

“My goal was to win a Super 1000 and I’ve done that. Now there’s only one more left (to achieve). I’m feeling it a lot right now as Olympics is my final goal. All players cry, smile and show many kinds of expression when they win the Olympics, right? I want to experience those emotions and I’m also curious how I will feel during the moment.” 

An Se Young

“I’ve been to Paris many times but this summer will be different. When I don the Olympic rings on my team shirt and see the rings on court, it’s going to hit differently. I cannot wait to get started.”

Wang Chang

“Not many players get to compete at one Olympics and I’m going for my third. To me it just means I’m getting older. I hope I can pass on some of my wisdom to Baek Ha Na.”

Lee So Hee

“It’s my first Olympics, I’m massively excited. Going into Paris as the world champion comes with a lot of pressure but that’s also a good thing. It means people are watching me. I’ve used the qualification period to continue to grow my game and learn. (But) there’s always (more) space to grow.”

Kunlavut Vitidsarn

“It’s exciting and I feel proud about competing at my second Olympics. I’ve been trying to maintain my Olympic spot straight after Tokyo 2020 and tried to qualify for the higher ranked tournaments.”

Thet Htar Thuzar

“When I found out I qualified for the Olympics, I had played two tournaments in a row and was about to play the European Championships. I did pretty well at the Kazakhstan International, reaching the quarterfinals in women’s singles. I knew that tournament was really important qualify. I pushed myself so hard to win.”

Polina Buhrova

“What I’m most looking forward to at the Olympics is that it’s so close to Germany and I hope Germans will come and watch. It’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the Games so close to home. I was born 400km from Paris so it’s almost like a home tournament.”

Marvin Seidel

“We want to enjoy this time around. It’s top-tier platform for badminton. We are going for a medal. We want one at the Olympics. The main thing is to embrace the Games and show everyone our best.”

Jongkolphan Kititharakul

“We were testing the court at the Singapore Open when we found out we were going to the Olympics. Words can’t describe how I felt when I received the news. I don’t think we finished testing the court properly because I was so happy about the news.”

Hee Yong Kai Terry