IOC applauds Furlong, pays tribute to Poole
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 1:45 AM ET
The Canadian Press
IOC president Jacques Rogge, left, is escorted to the 122nd IOC session Tuesday night by Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean and husband Jean-Daniel Lafond. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)The full pomp and circumstance of hosting the Olympics has descended on Vancouver.
With the start of the 122nd International Olympic Committee session, the movement's governing body is in the host city for the 2010 Winter Games.
The session began at a cultural event downtown attended by a host of politicians and dignitaries that included Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean.
"Friends from around the world, I will thank you for believing in us, in our ability to succeed and perhaps to dazzle you," Jean said as she addressed the crowd.
"May we make these Games not only an opportunity for excellence but also a celebration of friendship among peoples."
The head of the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, John Furlong, received a standing ovation as he got up to speak.
On the eve of the Games, Furlong said he was ready, but also nervous.
"Was it tougher than we thought it would be? Yes, it was," said Furlong. "But impossible and overwhelming as it sometimes seemed, we would not change a thing because it was the degree of difficulty itself that made us stronger."
The theme of the night's cultural program was the 90th anniversary of the Olympic flag, with its five interlocking rings symbol, one of the world's most recognizable and valuable brands.
In addition to a video montage featuring the flag, a circus troupe and a dance group performed acts interpreting the meaning of the rings.
As local politicians mingled with IOC members, whose ranks include princes and Olympians, IOC president Jacques Rogge said the lessons learned in Vancouver will be a blueprint for future Games.
'A complex and challenging undertaking'
During the two-day session, the IOC will vote for a host of the 2014 Youth Games as well as hear updates on preparations for 2012 Games in London and the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
"Hosting the Games is always a complex and challenging undertaking," said Rogge. "[VANOC] and its partners rose to the challenge without compromising the original vision for these Games."
Rogge added that everything that had been done to prepare for the Games was carried out with the athletes, the environment and the Olympic legacy in mind.
Rogge also paid tribute to Poole, who played a large role in bringing the Olympics to Vancouver. The former chairman of the organizing committee died of pancreatic cancer last year.
'No shortcuts to success'
Rogge noted that more than 2,500 athletes from 82 countries would be competing at the Vancouver Games, which will be followed by more than 10,000 media representatives, 250,000 spectators and a global television audience of three billion.
Rogge also said athletes should serve as role models and stay away from performance-enhancing drugs.
"The vast majority of athletes take that responsibility quite seriously," Rogge said. "They know that there are no shortcuts to success.
"We owe it to them to do everything we can to ensure that the competition is fair and free of doping."
