For more than two centuries, the Olympic torch has led us.
The torch of the Modern Games has burned brightly.
Olympians have come from across the world,
carrying their flags and dreams.
They believed in themselves and their teams.

Now they will come to Paris in ‘24.
The City of Light will be expecting them.
The athletes have trained long and hard.
They have been chosen from the many.
They will compete in new and ancient sports.

France has reason to be proud.
She was home to the founder of the Modern Games.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin had a clear vision.
He believed that the ancient games could be again.
He brought the arts to athletics, and the Games were reborn.

The Olympians of the Modern Games
respect and honor the heritage of competition.
When they raise a javelin,
they know it belongs to the ancient art of throwing.
They respect the javelin, once a weapon of war,
now a sport fostering camaraderie,
skill, appreciation of human strength and precision.

They stand silently as the teams for Pentathlon enter the stadium.
The athletes who will run, leap high, throw the discus and
Wrestle, trace their competition back almost 3,000 years.
There is a special reverence for the memory of the
equestrians and their horse and chariot races in the Hippodrome.

The Games of yesteryear drive emotion, the medalists and
Olympic Champions are remembered by their nations and us all.
Now there is a new generation, excited and fearful at the prospect.
Can we meet expectations? Can we meet the challenges?
Our families have made great sacrifices.
Our schools, our coaches, our towns and villages.
Our pictures are on their doors and in their hearts.
They expect so much.
We are told that we have achieved a great deal.
We are told that to participate is the high mountain.
But we dream of a medal.
We dream of being an Olympic Champion.

It is hard to sleep and not to dream.
It is even harder not to stare at our competitors.
We rarely speak their language,
but we know we share each other’s thoughts.
They look strong and confident and we breathe deeply.

Our coaches have been here before.
They have brought teams to the Games.
They have toured the venues in Paris.
They have their own challenges and hopes.
They share their confidence and strength.
John Krimsky Jr. - Led the revenue generating activities of the business affairs joint-venture of the New York Yankees (MLB), the New Jersey Nets (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL).