I am thrilled to be here in Beijing with you tonight and am truly honored that there is such recognition for my achievements in this country. As an international athlete you get the opportunity to travel the world and to pursue your dreams of being the best at what you set out to be representing your country. In my experience 'the spirit of friendship' which we are all enjoying tonight is embodied in these international competitions. // I was 10 years old when it was announced that Sydney won the bid back in 1993. Seven years later I was competing in the greatest sporting event the world has ever seen against the best in the world. The Olympic spirit is all about being in one place at one time as one people. Where your race, color or creed is irrelevant and you compete as equals—no other avenue in the world allows this level of friendship. // We showcase the best the world has to offer in sport and every athlete representing their country helps unite the world as one. The Olympic spirit is not something preserved for athletes. For me particularly—it is the hope and inspiration that it generates for young people in the world. // To have an Olympics in your own home city is an experience which is almost impossible to put into words. It is about your pride for your country, welcoming the world as hosts and bringing so many foreign nations together in peaceful competition. It is truly a celebration of humanity. // I can look back now on the many friendships that I have been able to make through sport and it is wonderful that we now live in an age where countries can compete together in friendly competition and all of us are enriched and better off for this experience—win, lose or draw. // I am amazed at the exciting changes that are happening in China at present and have little doubt that Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be an outstanding event. And regardless of whether I am still swimming or not—I intend to be here. The thing as an athlete you remember above anything else when you fly to a foreign country to compete is the 'people.' At the Sydney Olympics it was the efforts of the volunteers and the public whose smiling faces gleamed with pride during the games that made the Olympic experience my fondest living memory. // The culture and the history of a foreign place also make a striking impression. China, with its 5000 years of continuous history and richness of cultural heritage will be an unforgettable experience for the athletes of the world when they visit here in the lead up to and during 2008. During my short stay in China I have had the great pleasure to visit your most significant sites including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. I am truly humbled by these monuments that have stood the test of time. The scale, craftsmanship and beauty of the Forbidden City has left me awestruck particularly when you consider the challenges that must have existed when it was built. // The Olympics themselves have a heritage, which goes back over thousands of years and of course were revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in modern times in Athens, 1896. I also wish to commend Beijing on its desire to stage a 'Green Games'—something Sydney also considered a high priority. For all athletes, the quality of the environment in which they compete is important. Air quality and water quality can affect performances, and can assist an athlete to achieve his or her personal best. // At the Sydney 2000 Games, I greatly appreciated the efforts of the organizers to achieve high environmental standards. And I am pleased to advise that the Organizing Committee in Beijing is working to achieve even higher environmental standards. The many innovations and environmental programs that are being implemented in preparations for the Beijing 2008 Games will leave one of the most significant and lasti