Singapore Olympic Games swimming champion Joseph Schooling ‘really sorry’ for Malaysia jibe
The 22-year-old promised to “teach them a thing or two” at the Southeast Asian Games, but later said the remarks were taken out of context
Singapore’s Olympic Games swimming champion Joseph Schooling has apologised to Malaysians after he raised hackles by promising to “teach them a thing or two” at the Southeast Asian Games.
The 22-year-old said he was “really sorry” for his unguarded comments, which made him a target for Malaysian fans.
He had earlier insisted the remarks were taken out of context.
“If I offended anyone, I do apologise ... that wasn’t my intention,” the 100 metre butterfly Olympic gold-medallist said after arriving for the regional Games in Kuala Lumpur.
“I’m really sorry for my comments and I definitely didn’t mean it that way.”
A post shared by Joseph Schooling (@josephschooling) on Aug 1, 2017 at 2:46am PDT
Schooling won Singapore’s first and only Olympic gold medal in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, while neighbouring Malaysia has yet to produce an Olympic champion.