IOC President's speech at the Opening Ceremony of the XX Olympic Winter Games

Good Evening,

Dear Italian Friends!

After Cortina d’Ampezzo and Rome, today, with Turin, Italy is organising the Games for the third time.

Thank you for this great loyalty to the Olympic ideals. Our deep gratitude goes to the public authorities of Italy, the Piedmont Region and Turin for their valuable support.

I should like to thank in particular the Organising Committee of these Games for its excellent work.

My special thanks go also to the thousands of wonderful volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible.

Dear athletes, welcome to Turin. You are at the heart of these Games, which were created for you.

Give these Games the magic that we all desire, not only through your performances, but also, and above all, through your conduct.

Athletes, you are role models; your achievements both on and off the field of play will inspire and motivate the future generations.

Please compete in a spirit of fair play, mutual understanding and respect and, above all, compete cleanly by refusing doping.

Our world today is in need of peace, tolerance and brotherhood. The values of the Olympic Games can deliver these to us. May the Games be held in peace, in the true spirit of the Olympic Truce.

Athletes of the 80 National Olympic Committees, show us that sport unites by overcoming national, political, religious and language barriers. You can show us a world we all long for.

Sports lovers here in the Stadio Olimpico, television spectators watching in your billions around the globe, enjoy this unique sporting spectacle that our Italian hosts have organised for the world.

I now have the honour of requesting the President of the Italian Republic to declare the XX Olympic Winter Games of Torino open.

Thank you.