Mr. Speaker, from October 23 to 31, 45 athletes aged 15 to 17 from across Quebec and 22 coaches and staff will participate in the Olympic School Games sponsored by the International School Sport Federation in Bahrain. About 60 athletes and their parents are here on Parliament Hill.
Many of them got here after countless hours of training and many sacrifices, all with the goal of enjoying an experience so unique that I am quite jealous.
These athletes will be wearing the fleur-de-lis and representing Quebec internationally, dressed in the colours of a country in the making.
My two sons, Jules and Léon, are athletes. Thanks to the Fondation Équipe-Québec, the dream of representing Quebec on the international stage is now within their grasp.
I have a message for the delegation of young athletes from Quebec. They are trailblazers and torchbearers. When they compete, an entire nation will be cheering them on for achieving the dream of wearing Quebec's colours.
They already have their medal.