January 10th, 2009: Opening adress Governor of the General Assembly of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees

I feel extremely privileged to have been invited to address and open today this General Assembly of the 26 Olympic Committees of our region.

I know that this is the first time that so many prominent Olympic leaders are gathered here in our historic capital.

Welcome to the Netherlands Antilles…….welcome to Curacao…….welcome to Punda.

Considering the spectacular performances of so many Caribbean athletes during the Olympic Games in Beijing I commend you all for the brilliant work you did. I look upon you as the representatives of the magnificent support system behind these talented young men and women. Last week during the New Years reception in my speech to the community I highlighted the constantly improving performance of our elite Antillean athletes as being a beacon for our communities and an example for all our leaders.

You realize however as well as I do, that the value of the Olympic endeavor is not the result of the athletic competition, but the effort to achieve excellence.

I consider our athletes the role models of our societies because I totally agree with the Greek concept of ATHLOS which means:

 “the successful outcome of a difficult enterprise, fortitude and patience in times of hardship”

This is not only applicable in sports but in all aspects of our daily life. Hard work discipline, perseverance, sacrifice, character, fair play, etc will lead to Athlos: high performance of our communities.

But even as we seek to reach a higher quality of life in our communities as leaders in sport it compels us to focus constantly on the broader expansion of  human development.

I understand that CANOC strives to look beyond national boundaries in order to have the impact I just described. I also understand that being island nations our people tend to

look inwards forgetting that united we represent more talent and that we cannot develop our communities as an isolated group.

That is why I am sure that getting together and discussing the common and complex issues of modern society you will find common strategies and solutions.

I would like to thank NAOC president Millerson for taking the initiative for hosting the CANOC. A special welcome goes also out to the Toronto delegation.

Last but not least I wish CANOC president Mr. Stout, his board and all participants a constructive Assembly, and hereby officially open the 6th CANOC General Assembly.