I’m a swimmer. I’ll not know the whole lot about winter sports activities and I in all probability know even much less about gown for winter climates. Nevertheless, I do know what it takes to be an elite athlete. I do know what it’s wish to share your desires with others, solely to have them snigger at you as a result of they don’t imagine what you imagine. I do know what it’s wish to have doubt creep up inside you and solid a shadow over your desires. I do know what it’s wish to face the inner pressures you placed on your self to perform your desires. I do know what it’s wish to face the exterior pressures others placed on you to perform their desires. I do know what it’s wish to fail. I additionally know what it’s wish to win. If you win, you neglect about all of the unfavourable feedback, the doubts and the pressures you confronted as a result of in that second your dream has grow to be a actuality.
I’m in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics as a member of the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC). That is my first Video games expertise as an IOC member and being a part of the work and dedication that the members and employees put into this, is phenomenal. As a part of the IOC Athletes Fee we assist information and make sure the IOC give the Athletes the best Video games expertise.
Sochi gives some fantastic firsts:
- 1st time for Russia to host a Winter Olympics
- 1st time for the UN Secretary Common to talk at an IOC session
- 1st time for the next nations to take part at a Winter Olympics: East Timor, Malta, Paruguay, Togo, Tonga and Zimbabwe
- 1st time for Girls to compete in Ski Leaping
These 1st time occurrences replicate IOC President Thomas Bach’s motto, ‘Unity in Range’. This range is bringing increasingly individuals of various nations, cultures, religions, genders, races, languages and backgrounds collectively for 1 function: Sport. I’ve many desires, certainly one of them being the hope that you’ll sooner or later get to expertise a World that displays the Olympic Video games. A World the place we are able to help one another, compete with one another, compete in opposition to one another and on the similar time, stay collectively in peace and in concord. There might be about 85 nations being represented by their athletes and all dwelling, consuming and competing collectively with out discrimination, preventing or hate. That’s distinctive in our world at the moment, however not unimaginable.
On 6th February I used to be honoured to hold the Olympic Torch for the primary time. Folks lined the streets: infants in prams; kids on their mother and father shoulders; college kids singing… fueling pleasure into the environment in adoration of their athletes. This was surreal as a result of for that singular second I used to be doing one thing nobody else on the earth was doing. I wasn’t simply carrying my nations Flag, or solely representing Africa and girls all over the world, I used to be representing humankind by linking 1000’s of others in carrying a message of peace.
