Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, and your excellency.
What a pleasure it is to be here with you all today and have the opportunity to share with you the journey of the Canadian athletes as they move toward London, 2012. As we heard, there will be about 14,000 athletes present, and every single one of them represents the passion and the perseverance that it takes to be a champion, both on the field of play and off.
I'm also honoured to be among the many past Olympians from Canada, over 4,000, who have competed for Canada, the alumni, as we help to support the Canadian Olympic Committee and all the partners in sport to help a new generation of athletes bound for the London summer games and beyond.
You heard President Aubut speaking of the support of the team, and that support, indeed, is second to none by the standards of other national Olympic committees. Having had a chance to compete on the Canadian team for over 20 years—I retired about 15 years ago now—I can tell you that our national Olympic committee is doing an excellent job in preparing today's generation of Olympians. From the excellence series, from the familiarization trips, from the new partnerships, and from the technical innovation of many of our partners onboard, we are doing the right thing for our athletes from coast to coast. We're also doing the right thing by including Olympians in the planning process as well. As you know, we will be led into London by our chef de mission, Mark Tewksbury.
Our support staff, the volunteers, the coaches, and the communities across our nation play a critical role to the success of every athlete who will be competing in London. I see from the experiences and from what we've heard today, and what I get to experience every day by being part of the Canadian sports system, that no stone will be left unturned to help our athletes perform at their best on the competitive sports stage.
We may even give your team, Mr. Pocock, a run for their money.