P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
11
early age of nineteen. This world champion —already acknowledged as the best middle-distance
runner in the annals of history and one of the best athletes of all time— has since taken many,
highly productive pathways. Furthermore, these victories and his selfless, tenacious, straightforward
nature have earned him another great personal triumph; the triumph of his generous, dedicated work
for the most needy. A unicef Good Will Ambassador, he donates a fair part of his prize money to
charity work, with children and the very young being the first to benefit. These children, in turn,
hold him in fervent admiration and have an enormous desire to emulate him. The high moral
example that elite sport epitomises and always should epitomise is magnified in the case of this
sportsman and exceptional human being whom we pay tribute to today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For yet another year, we draw this Awards Ceremony to a close filled with joy and, despite the
challenges and uncertainties of our times, with confidence in a better future for mankind. Here,
in our homeland, we Spaniards have built up in recent decades and with enormous sacrifice, with
understanding and generosity, one of the fairest, most prosperous and free societies in the world, and
one of the most advanced in the defence of human rights, which we are rightly proud of.
We are fully aware that these achievements have never before been attained in our history. For
this reason, he have freely and repeatedly stated that the finest adventure we wish to experience
is to continue along the same path, united in our differences and, as was proclaimed in Ancient
Greece, with “daring confidence in freedom”. As Spaniards, we
wish to follow this path, facing our future with the joy and the
confidence of knowing that there will be no rest in the incessant
search for further victories of understanding and concord.
Backed by these convictions, as the twenty-first century
begins, we look towards new, promising horizons, guided by the
idea that the united peoples of Spain are the greatest guarantee
of stability and the progress of all. In the fascinating but difficult
challenge of living in a globalized, extraordinarily competitive
and rapidly changing world, we wish to continue to have a place
concordant with our history, in order to make our contribution
to achieving wide-ranging peace, fairer development and the
rapprochement of and dialogue between people and different cultures.
We are very much aware that these are not goals to be achieved without great sacrifice, without
a firm will and without a fresh and lucid vision of the state of the world. Despite these difficulties, we
should acknowledge that the greatest failure would be not to try, for the dangers that threaten us are
both real and serious. Let us not forget, as Claudio Magris reminds us in one of his most perceptive
works, that mankind needs utopia so that it does not give in to accepting things as they are. For the
destiny of every man and of history itself is similar to that of Moses, who did not reach the Promised
Land, but did not let that stop him walking tirelessly towards it.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When we meet again, we will start to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of our Awards.
From this moment onwards, I wish to wholeheartedly offer my thanks for the support we are
receiving from institutions, organizations and individuals so that this celebration has the impact it
deserves, and so that our Awards continue to be, as a beautiful poem penned in these lands says,
“like a tree that grows on hope, that staves off the lightning, that frightens off the icy winds of time;
a tree under the shadows of which we can feel the new leaves after winter, the first fruits of summer
and which hoards the memories of all that we admire.” A tree which henceforth will also receive
the cares and the dedicated support of my wife, Letizia, Princess of Asturias.
Thank you.
“There is no all-round sportsman without
values; victory is worthless without generosity;
sport means nothing if the strength of example
and the desire to serve society do not underlie
the desire to compete and to play fair.”
