My Speech

How do you become an Olympian? You have to be a talented athlete of course, one of the best in the world, but that’s not all. You also have to be a person of great character and integrity. You have to live by the three Olympic values - excellence, friendship and respect.

The value of excellence is about doing your best. The most important thing is not winning but taking part. Excellence is about choosing not to compare yourself with others but instead focus on your goals and try your hardest to make progress.

In the 2000 summer Olympics a man called Eric Moussambani competed in the 100 metre freestyle race. He came last by a long, long way but he showed excellence because he tried his hardest to excel.

This teaches me that doing my best is the most important thing. It doesn’t matter if I don’t do as well as other people as long as I am making progress.

At the Olympics people from all over the world come together. They speak different languages, eat different food and have different ways of doing things. But their love of sport brings them together and helps them to overcome their differences. Friendship is an important Olympic value.

In the 1988 Olympics, a sailor from Canada showed great friendship. He wanted to win the race and he was ahead but when a strong wind came and tipped over another boat, he pulled out of the race and helped the two injured sailors.

This teaches that being a good friend is more important than winning.

Respect is the third Olympic value and it is about taking care of yourself, other people and the world around you. Showing respect means following the rules and being fair.

Dara Torres was a swimmer at the Beijing Olympics.

When the swimmers were walking out to start their race, she noticed that another swimmer had ripped her togs. Instead of thinking “Hooray that gives me a better chance of winning” she went over to the judges and asked them to wait until the swimmer had a chance to change. Dara wanted the race to be fair for everyone.

That showed real respect.

This teaches me that I should always be fair and think about other people as well as myself.  

The world would be a better place if everybody lived by the three Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. That’s why we should all try to become the best at whatever we do, show friendship to other people even if they are different from us and always show respect by playing fair.