"The Time of our Lives"

I was 16 years old when I walked onto the pool deck at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Wide-eyed, nervous and full of dreams. These were my first Olympic Games, and I had no idea what to expect. I remember seeing Susie O’Neill warming up and whispering to my coach, “That’s Susie O’Neill!” He gently asked, “What do you see?” I was too starstruck to answer. He said, “I see another girl, another woman just like you.” That moment helped me realise: this was where I belonged.

Sydney was more than just my first Olympic Games—it was the spark. I celebrated my 17^th birthday on race day, met Muhammad Ali in the Olympic Village, and fell in love with lamingtons. But more than anything, I felt the power of the Olympic spirit. I saw it in Cathy Freeman lighting the flame, a moment that united a nation and honoured its Indigenous heritage. Sydney lifted an entire country. It inspired generations of athletes and reshaped how the world saw Australia. You could feel it in the stadiums, in the streets, in the pride of the people. That’s the magic of the Olympic Games: the power of sport to bring together the entire world to celebrate the values that unite as a human family. You have to see it and experience it to truly understand what it brings to a nation – and to the world.

For me, Sydney laid the foundation for everything that followed—Athens, Beijing, London, Rio. And now, for me as IOC President, it helps guide how I think about Brisbane 2032. I know what’s possible when a country embraces the Olympic Games with heart and purpose. I know the impact they can have on a young athlete, on a community, on a generation. Sydney was the beginning. Brisbane will be a new chapter. And somewhere out there, a young girl is watching, dreaming and preparing to write her own story.