For two weeks, the world will thrill to the Vancouver Winter Olympics. While we are still under the shock of the appalling tragedy that struck Haiti, some may have trouble understanding such enthusiasm. For my part, I believe the Olympic Spirit more than ever exemplifies key values, hopes and fulfillments.
As a member of the International Olympic Committee for twenty-three years, regularly meeting athletes and officials from all continents, I have been able to observe the importance of Pierre de Coubertin's message day after day. Having also had the privilege of competing in five Olympic Games and continuing to practice sports with passion, I am particularly convinced that the values of the Olympic Spirit bring every one of us a wealth that has never been challenged.
First, the Olympic Spirit offers a message to young people. In the 19th century, those who revived the spirit of the Games of antiquity wished to promote health in young people through unity of the mind and body. This led them to invent a new form of education, not limited to basic instruction, but one that set the body, Nature and the world in equilibrium. Over a century later, the hope of offering everyone a healthy protected balanced life has become a concern that is central to our time, an essential political and humanist objective well beyond the celebration of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Spirit also meant believing the people could progress together collectively thanks to the individual conquest of perfection and surpassing oneself. While our societies often hesitate on the principles to transmit to our children, I believe this spirit of excellence as embodied by athletes can and must be a source of inspiration. In the sometimes difficult choices I encounter daily in my public life, I can measure, at least on my own level, the importance of the teachings of top-level sports in the face of the challenges of our world.
Universality was another requirement at the heart of the Olympic Spirit. From the start, the grandeur and daring of the Games consisted in opening the competition to all, when sports were most often reserved for elites. This ideal of respect and faith in humanity crossed the twentieth century with an intensity that never waned. The images of Jesse Owens' triumph in front of Hitler are among the most powerful in our history. And, even today, while racism, intolerance and attacks on Human Rights continue to thrive, universality remains a noble struggle for all of us.
Through these values, the Olympic Spirit has, from its origins, cultivated the immense hope of striving for Peace through Sports. It asserts that peaceful emulation between people and the joy of shared excitement contribute to quelling national strife and aggressive passion. Is this ambition beyond our reach? I do not believe so. On the contrary, major athletic events, as we can see with each Olympiad and each Soccer World Cup, provide opportunities for rousing generous patriotism and reconciling collective identity.
Clearly, the Olympic Spirit has not put an end to war, nor will it ever end intolerance and misery. Such struggles must be conducted at other levels, by States, international organizations, NGOs and all those who fight on a daily basis to make the world a better place. Sports do not claim to supplant them, but simply to play the role of setting examples, inspiring dreams and eliciting hope. Therein lie their grandeur and nobility.
The Olympic Movement is in stride with its time. Year after year, it upholds, renews and adapts its commitments. Since 1994, it has made environmental defense the third pillar of the Olympic Spirit, along with sports and culture. This is one of today's major challenges and our perpetual duty to future generations.
In my unflagging commitment to the protection of Nature, I have often observed athletes' intense awareness of the importance of their environment. This is something they feel and experience more than others. This is why saving our Planet must be at the heart of the organization of competitions, typifying the struggle fight for which sports have a unique role to play, both for raising awareness and for training. It is my hope that the Vancouver Games, whose organizers have chosen and promoted environmental measures, will illustrate this brilliantly.
May the Olympic Games, with their athletes, their excitement and their legend, continue offering humanity a message of ideals and peace.
