Obama's remarks to the International Olympic Committee. Transcript

As delivered….

October 2, 2009

Remarks of President Barack Obama –

To the International Olympic Committee

Copenhagen, Denmark

October 2, 2009

President Rogge, ladies and gentlemen of the International Olympic Committee:

I come here today as a passionate supporter of the Olympic and Paralympic Games;

as a strong believer in the movement they represent; and a proud Chicagoan. But

above all, I come as a faithful representative of the American people, and we

look forward to welcoming the world to the shores of Lake Michigan and the

heartland of our nation in 2016.

To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe is a high honor and

a great responsibility. And America is ready and eager to assume that sacred

trust. We are a nation that has always opened its arms to the citizens of the

world – including my own father – who have sought something better; who have

dreamed of something bigger.

I know you face a difficult choice among several great cities and nations with

impressive bids of their own. So I’ve come here today to urge you to choose

Chicago for the same reasons I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago – the

reasons I fell in love with the city I still call home. And it’s not only

because it’s where I met the woman you just heard from – though after getting to

know her this week, I’m sure you’d all agree that she’s a pretty big selling

point.

You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot. And I never really had roots

in any one place or culture or ethnic group. Then I came to Chicago. And on

those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and women who were black and

white; Latino and Asian; people of every class and nationality and religion. I

came to discover that Chicago is that most American of American cities, but one

where citizens from more than 130 nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive

neighborhoods.

Each one of those neighborhoods – from Greektown to the Ukrainian Village; from

Devon to Pilsen to Washington Park – has its own unique character, history,

song, and sometimes language. But each is also a part of our city – one city –

a city where I finally found a home.

Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different just as

we celebrate what we have in common. It’s a place where our unity is on

colorful display at so many festivals, parades, and especially sporting events,

where perfect strangers become fast friends at the sight of the same jersey.

It’s a city that works – from its first World’s Fair more than a century ago to

the World Cup we hosted in the nineties, we know how to put on big events. And

scores of visitors and spectators will tell you that we do it well.

Chicago is a city where the practical and the inspirational exist in harmony;

where visionaries who made no small plans rebuilt after a great fire and taught

the world to reach new heights. It’s a bustling metropolis with the warmth of a

small town; where the world already comes together every day to live and work

and reach for a dream – a dream that no matter who we are or where we’re from;

no matter what we look like or what hand life has dealt us, with hard work, and

discipline, and dedication, we can make it if we try.

That’s not just the American Dream. That is the Olympic spirit. That’s why we

see so much of ourselves in these Games. And that’s why we want them in

Chicago. That’s why we want them in America.

We stand at a moment in history when the fate of each nation is inextricably

linked to the fate of all nations – a time of common challenges that require a

common effort. And I ran for President because I believed deeply that at this

defining moment, the United States of America has a responsibility to help lead

that effort, and to forge new partnerships with the nations and peoples of the

world.

No one expects the Games to solve our collective challenges. But we do believe

that in a world where we have too often witnessed the darker aspects of our

humanity, peaceful competition between nations represents what is best about our

humanity. It brings us together, if only for a few weeks, face to face. It

helps us understand one another just a little better. It reminds us that no

matter how or where we differ, we all seek our own measure of happiness, and

fulfillment, and pride in what we do. And that is a very powerful starting

point for progress.

Nearly one year ago, on a clear November night, people from every corner of the

world gathered in the city of Chicago or in front of their televisions to watch

the results of the U.S. Presidential election. Their interest wasn’t about me

as an individual. Rather, it was rooted in the belief that America’s experiment

in democracy still speaks to a set of universal aspirations and ideals. It

sprung from the hope that in this ever-shrinking world, our diversity could be a

source of strength and cause for celebration; and that with sustained work and

determination, we could learn to live and prosper together during the fleeting

moment we share on this Earth.

That work is far from over, but it has begun in earnest. And while we do not

know what the next few years will bring, there is nothing I would like more than

to step just a few blocks from my family’s home and welcome the world back to

our neighborhood.

At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people

from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more; to ignite the

spirit of possibility at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in a

new generation; to offer a stage worthy of the extraordinary talent and dynamism

offered by nations joined together – to host games that unite us in noble

competition and shared celebration of our limitless potential as a people.

And so I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America. And if you

do; if we walk this path together; then I promise you this: the city of Chicago

and the United States of America will make the world proud. Thank you.

##