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of religious ceremony. But on this limited training he had qualified for the
Olympic Games - he was one of the greatest athletes in the world, and after the
Games we will hear no more of him. He will be an Olympian herding cattle in
Bhutan. The two swimmers from the newest NOC, Federated States of Micronesia
also had an interesting story to tell. Eight months prior to the Olympic Games, they
had never swum in a pool. Their training was restricted to the Ocean and rivers.
However, courtesy of an OOTC scholarship, thy moved to Fiji where they could
train in an Olympic pool and go to school until the Olympic Games. In this
period, the male took some 15 seconds off his personal best and the female cut
19 seconds off hers to enable them both to compete in Sydney, where once again,
they both swam personal bests and broke National records. No Gold medals
no front pages in the newspapers, but a fascinating story of Olympic triumph.
But perhaps my fondest memory of this event was the city of Sydney itself.
I have never seen Sydney as it was during the Olympic Games and it will never be
the same again. This was the legacy of the Olympic Games on Sydney. If you
spoke to the people of Sydney during this festival, they spoke not only of the
sporting triumphs, but also more importantly, they talked about the euphoric
atmosphere that the Games had brought our city. The city exploded with vibrancy
and optimism, the likes of which had not been seen in Sydney before. The people
of Sydney began to believe in themselves and the pride that the Olympic Games
instilled in us is the real Olympic legacy and is one that will stay with us for years
to come.
It was my tertiary education that taught me about Olympism. Education in
Olympism is something everyone can learn and it is only a textbook away. My
Olympic experience, particularly in the Olympic Training Centres of Africa and
Oceania and the Sydney Olympic Games, has educated me through Olympism.
They have taught me about the power and beauty of sport, Olympism has taught
me so much about myself and has been a genuine influence in shaping my own
personal ideals and philosophy of life. And it is something for which I am eternally
grateful.
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