Vancouver, Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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The sacred flame of Olympism burns in the hearts of Canadians from sea to sea to sea, and shines a light of hope on the whole world.
In the coming days, you will have the opportunity to experience the best of what Canada has to offer.
This country, which welcomes you with open arms, was born from a common desire to inhabit one of the largest territories in the world.
It was born from women's and men's sense of belonging to a generous land, whose spirit was passed down to us from the first peoples of the Americas. A land where the French fact took root and where citizens of all origins are at home.
It is an officially bilingual that is proud of its cultural diversity, a peaceful country whose greatest strength lies in the ideal of equality.
It is a country that is proud of its past but resolutely turned to the future, a country rich in its youth.
We are a people of builders. We were when we built a new world, and we will be again as we host this magnificent celebration of winter, excellence and fraternity.
At this time, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee and its many partners, on the eve of this wonderful event that is the culmination of so much hard work.
We're not used to singing our own praises. But our modesty cannot hide our pride.
At this time of great athletic pride, where everyone is competing to bring us together into one great human family, let us not forget our sisters and brothers in Haiti, whose achievements are measured not in fleetness or perfection of movement, but in the strength of living, of believing in better days and rebuilding.
In this new test for the Haitian people, I believe that hope is embodied in the almost unparalleled scope of solidarity being expressed from every corner of the globe.
A solidarity that captures the ideal of universal sisterhood and brotherhood that is the life blood of the Olympic movement.
That solidarity teaches us that even if we are different from one another by virtue of our cultures and traditions, the ties that bind us together can be even stronger when we try to understand and help one another, rather than tearing one another apart.
When the suffering felt by one can be felt by many, humanity is moving forward.
When the problems of one become the problems of all, humanity is moving forward.
There is no doubt that Canada is a hope and a dream for all those, from throughout the world, who will be taking part in this “this grandiose and beneficent work,” as Pierre de Coubertin so eloquently put it, a work dedicated to human development, the dialogue of cultures, and peace.
Friends from around the world, thank you for believing in us, in our ability to succeed and, perhaps, to dazzle you.
And may we make these Games not only an opportunity for excellence, but also a celebration of friendship among peoples.
Thank you.
