South African History Online

Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the International Fair Play Awards

Pretoria, 25 June 1997

President of the International Committee for Fair Play;
African Members of
the International Olympic Committee;
Minister of Sport, Steve Tshwete, and
other Cabinet Ministers;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am indeed honoured to be presented with the International Fair Play Trophy
by you, Your Excellency.

This accolade has all the more meaning because it is being conferred at such
a distinguished gathering. May I join with our hosts in extending a warm welcome
to our guests, and especially our fellow Africans. We are honoured by your
presence and hope that your stay in our country is a pleasant one.

All of us owe a debt of gratitude to the initiators of this Award and to the
Fair Play Committee. Though we live in a world in which the good that is in
people generally prevails, sadly there are also those who exploit magnanimity
and openness.

We have, therefore, constantly to affirm and celebrate good deeds and social
virtues. In this respect, sport today plays a pre-eminent role in expounding
what is good and exemplifying what is healthy.

We need only think of the immense television audiences for the great sporting
events - billions each for the two weeks of the Atlanta Olympic games and more
the one month World Cup Football tournament.

Who could doubt that sport is a crucial window for the propagation of fair
play and justice? After all, fair play is a value that is essential to
sport!

I am delighted to learn that the International Committee for Fair Play feels
that I have done something to promote this end.

In the narrow sporting sense I did strive to do this, in my short career as
an amateur boxer.

More importantly, I know that in bestowing this award on me you are honouring
the people of South Africa as a whole, for their long struggle for justice and
for their determination to work together in pursuit of this noble value.

In particular our youth, as our future leaders, are at the forefront of this
endeavour. I feel it will be fitting, therefore, for me to dedicate this award
to them, knowing full well that they will not rest until the goal is
achieved.

The history of our country is such that we still have to create the
conditions for fair play and justice to be secure. Our government has initiated
measures to address the inequalities and imbalances of the past. But this will
take time. The wounds of past injustice need to be healed and the deep divisions
removed for ever. Reconstruction and reconciliation, nation-building and
development must go hand-in-hand.

In this process sport is a great force for unity and reconciliation. That is
why we are so deeply committed to having the Olympic Games of 2004 held in Cape
Town.

We believe that the road towards 2004 will accelerate the healing and
reconstruction process, not only in South Africa but on the entire
continent.

Africa was in the forefront of the fight against apartheid. Many great
athletes and world beaters sacrificed the chance to compete internationally in
order to make their protest heard. Many potential medallists withdrew from the
1976 Olympic games in protest against collaboration of the oppression of South
Africans, because they believed that this was not fair play.

If we are nominated to stage the Olympic Games of 2004, we can assure you
that it will be an African Olympics and an event of which the entire world will
be very proud.

Your Excellency, may I thank you once again for awarding me this prestigious
trophy.

It symbolises our international partnership for fair play and justice.

Issued by: Office of the President