Vancouver, Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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In this country of unlimited horizons, which welcomes you with open arms, we believe that nothing is impossible for those who see far and dream big, as the young athletes from around the world are about to remind us.
You believed in that wonderful dream we had to host here, between the ocean and the mountains, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and there is no doubt that Canada will rise to the occasion and honour your trust.
And now we stand before you today, distinguished members of the International Olympic Committee, just three days away from the opening ceremonies, delighted, excited, and proud to play host to delegations from around the world for this great celebration of excellence, youth and winter, for which Canada is such a powerful model for so many.
That dream that is about to be realized is perfectly in keeping with the beliefs of the father of the Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin, who saw the democratization and globalization of sport as factors for peace and unity among peoples.
"The goal of Olympism," he said, "is to place everywhere sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."
Those words ring out now more than ever, when, not far from us in the Americas, children, women and men are fighting for their lives and being pushed to the limits of their suffering.
I believe that the muscular strength of our athletes, to use an expression by Pierre de Coubertin, must correspond to our strength of solidarity, in these times when our sisters and brothers in Haiti are trying to overcome the disaster that has befallen them.
I believe that our quest for excellence must also correspond to an ongoing quest for dialogue and peace in these times of uncertainty and the re-emergence of dissensions.
The peoples of the world have so few opportunities to join together in a common cause, with a common goal, beyond differences and conflicts.
All players here assert themselves not through violence or weapons, but through their own worth, that is, their physical abilities, their team spirit and sportsmanship, and their will to succeed.
Borders fall away, leaving behind only the very highest of humanity's aspirations.
That is the noble task that your institution has been pursuing for over a century, and which Canada wholeheartedly supports.
So I invite you to join with Canadians to make that dream, and that noble challenge that the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games represent for us, not only an opportunity for excellence, but also a celebration of solidarity.
Thank you.
