Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, July 12, 2007

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What an amazing sight! Young people from all over the Americas have come together in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate friendship and excellence.

I know how hard you have all worked to get here. You should be very proud and thrilled.

You are teaching us a wonderful lesson in courage, excelling, and perseverance.

It is a lesson our paralympic athletes—of whom we are also very proud—will teach us again in one month’s time.

This will be the first time that the paralympic games begin as soon as the Pan American Games end, and in the same city. This is a wonderful development and reason for us to celebrate.

You, the athletes, are role models for each and every one of us. And maybe even more so for young people who, like you, have a dream and are doing everything they can to make that dream a reality.

After years of discipline and training, you will soon put everything on the line.

A fraction of a second can make the difference in a competition.

However, you must know that the measure of an athlete is not just in the results, but in his or her sense of honour and dignity, in victory, of course, but also in defeat.

You will be focused completely on your performance over the next few days.

It is an opportunity to outdo yourselves, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate the solidarity that exists between young people from North, Central and South America.

Open your eyes and your hearts and take full advantage of everything this experience has to offer.

Be open to, curious and respectful of differences. There are so many things to discover, so many people to meet. Make the most of it!

I hope you smash every record at these Games. But mostly, I hope you all have an amazing experience that you will remember for the rest of your lives.

I hope you know that, even if they are a long way from here, the people of Canada are behind you. We are so proud of you.

The support you are receiving here is clear proof of that.

Your coaches, the people from the Canadian Olympic Committee, the medical team, and all the volunteers here are putting their heart and souls into making sure you have the experience of a lifetime.

To each of you, I say “Bravo” and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I wish you all every success, and, as we say back home, “Go Canada, go!”