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Address
By Mr Lambis NIKOLAOU (GRE)
Member of the International Olympic Committee
President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee
On behalf of all my colleagues in the Hellenic Olympic Committee, I would
like to extend a warm welcome to the Participants of the 41 st International Session
of the International Olympic Academy.
This Session's special subject, "The Olympic Games: A Review of the Olympic
Games of Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004," highlights a very important question for
us Greeks as we are presently going through the preparation phase for the
Olympics, a critical period for any host city. The review and conclusions of the last
Games will constitute the s-called "Olympic Experience," an experience which
represents a major advantage that cannot be practically obtained by any other
means. We should not forget that, as an event, the Olympic games have their own
specific features and cannot, therefore, be assessed by strictly qualitative or
quantitative criteria.
On the one hand, there is the unprecedented phenomenon of the gathering of
such a large number of athletes, competing in a wide range of sports and events.
On the other hand, due to ongoing developments in areas directly related to the
staging of the greatest sports festival in the world, it is imperative to ensure to coordination
of all parameters involved in the successful organisation of such an
event.
In order to safeguard the perpetual propagation of the sound principles
of Olympism, which seem to be relegated to a position of secondary importance
in recent years, we must go back to their origins and draw the necessary lessons
from them. Concerning the Olympic Games of Athens 2004, as Greeks, we have
the obligation, more so than anyone else, to make sure that everything will be
properly settled.
You, too, have here from every corner of the world to take part in this years
Session of the IOA and join forces with all the friends of Olympism, in order
to help propagate this great idea that is vigorously resisting the degenerative
phenomena of our times.
Before I open this Session allow me, please, to make special reference to
the presence of the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Juan
Antonio Samaranch.
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