Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 11 early age of nineteen. This world champion —already acknowledged as the best middle-distance runner in the annals of history and one of the best athletes of all time— has since taken many, highly productive pathways. Furthermore, these victories and his selfless, tenacious, straightforward nature have earned him another great personal triumph; the triumph of his generous, dedicated work for the most needy. A unicef Good Will Ambassador, he donates a fair part of his prize money to charity work, with children and the very young being the first to benefit. These children, in turn, hold him in fervent admiration and have an enormous desire to emulate him. The high moral example that elite sport epitomises and always should epitomise is magnified in the case of this sportsman and exceptional human being whom we pay tribute to today. Ladies and Gentlemen, For yet another year, we draw this Awards Ceremony to a close filled with joy and, despite the challenges and uncertainties of our times, with confidence in a better future for mankind. Here, in our homeland, we Spaniards have built up in recent decades and with enormous sacrifice, with understanding and generosity, one of the fairest, most prosperous and free societies in the world, and one of the most advanced in the defence of human rights, which we are rightly proud of. We are fully aware that these achievements have never before been attained in our history. For this reason, he have freely and repeatedly stated that the finest adventure we wish to experience is to continue along the same path, united in our differences and, as was proclaimed in Ancient Greece, with “daring confidence in freedom”. As Spaniards, we wish to follow this path, facing our future with the joy and the confidence of knowing that there will be no rest in the incessant search for further victories of understanding and concord. Backed by these convictions, as the twenty-first century begins, we look towards new, promising horizons, guided by the idea that the united peoples of Spain are the greatest guarantee of stability and the progress of all. In the fascinating but difficult challenge of living in a globalized, extraordinarily competitive and rapidly changing world, we wish to continue to have a place concordant with our history, in order to make our contribution to achieving wide-ranging peace, fairer development and the rapprochement of and dialogue between people and different cultures. We are very much aware that these are not goals to be achieved without great sacrifice, without a firm will and without a fresh and lucid vision of the state of the world. Despite these difficulties, we should acknowledge that the greatest failure would be not to try, for the dangers that threaten us are both real and serious. Let us not forget, as Claudio Magris reminds us in one of his most perceptive works, that mankind needs utopia so that it does not give in to accepting things as they are. For the destiny of every man and of history itself is similar to that of Moses, who did not reach the Promised Land, but did not let that stop him walking tirelessly towards it. Ladies and Gentlemen, When we meet again, we will start to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of our Awards. From this moment onwards, I wish to wholeheartedly offer my thanks for the support we are receiving from institutions, organizations and individuals so that this celebration has the impact it deserves, and so that our Awards continue to be, as a beautiful poem penned in these lands says, “like a tree that grows on hope, that staves off the lightning, that frightens off the icy winds of time; a tree under the shadows of which we can feel the new leaves after winter, the first fruits of summer and which hoards the memories of all that we admire.” A tree which henceforth will also receive the cares and the dedicated support of my wife, Letizia, Princess of Asturias. Thank you. “There is no all-round sportsman without values; victory is worthless without generosity; sport means nothing if the strength of example and the desire to serve society do not underlie the desire to compete and to play fair.”