 | The Canadian Olympic Committee released the following statement regarding the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games with last night’s Closing Ceremony. | |
London - August 13, 2012 - As the Canadian Olympic Committee President, it was my first Olympic Games, and I feel absolutely privileged to be with this group of athletes and the fantastic support team that we had here in London. I would like to congratulate LOCOG, the whole country, the city of London, and all the British people. We have been hosted first class, everywhere. Congratulations to Team GB, who have made a fantastic performance.
Like in Vancouver, our athletes have inspired our nation. They won the hearts and minds of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. And in conclusion, what an exceptional games we had in London 2012. As far as our goal, top 12 in 2012, we adopted the philosophy of having ambitious goals, and that was one. We have continued to have audacious and ambitious goals, because that’s what our athletes want, to have ambitious goals. It looks like we have to be just outside the top 12, and that shows you how completed it is. Most importantly, we have seen the immense new potential our younger athletes, very encouraging. The torch is being passed to them. Meantime, we have a lot to celebrate.
The whole team has felt the support from all Canadians and was very touched. Broadcast television numbers are through the roof. All Canadian have a good chance to see the athletes in Ottawa September 19th, and in Toronto in September 21st. We will have a downtown Toronto a parade on the 21st, and a gala inducting the Hall of Fame at the Air Canada Centre that night. We hope to see hundreds and hundreds of Canadians there to say thank you to those athletes. The athletes have inspired, and will continue to inspire, the next generation.
We are especially happy to see that we have a unified sport system: government, OTP, NSFs, coaching association, Canadian Olympic Committee, everyone in London as one team. I’m very proud of that, and thank you for all those partners to have accepted to work as a team. Those different organizations are working as one team as we continue to build coaches, coaches who have never been so important. They don’t make a difference, they make the difference.
I become a bit emotional when I talk about the chef de mission and assistant chef de mission because that duo is so good and so experienced. We have heard a lot about the incredible spirit that the team, of the athletes here in London. Well, it always comes from the top, and that comes from those two.
And the mission team in preparation for the Olympics has a worldwide reputation as far as delivering the goods, and they lived up to that reputation here in London.
In conclusion, as president for my first Olympics, I am very happy, I’m very proud of this group of athletes and the whole organization, and I’m telling you right away, we are ready for a bright future.
Marcel Aubut, Canadian Olympic Committee President
|
